Best sunglasses for flying?

I miscalculated my health benefits. I expected to have to pay cash for
my medical and for some diagnostic tests that I needed to have to get
the medical, but my HMO ended up picking up all of it. So I have a
signficant surplus in my healthcare flexible spending account that I
must spend by the end of the year or forfeit to the IRS.

I will probably spend it on prescription sunglasses. What are the best
sunglasses for flying if money is no object (I REALLY miscalculated)? I
already have a pair of prescription ray-bans which are pretty good but
not so great in hazy, glary conditions.

I'd like to hear any opinions on this, like are mirrored shades better
at reflecting bright light? ARe wraparounds really better at protecting
your eyes from all angles? Etc.

Ray Ban Ambermatics are excellent in haze.
The Ray Ban G31(?) green lenses are good for bright sunlight and have
low UZ transmissivity

xyzzy wrote:
I miscalculated my health benefits. I expected to have to pay cash for
my medical and for some diagnostic tests that I needed to have to get
the medical, but my HMO ended up picking up all of it. So I have a
signficant surplus in my healthcare flexible spending account that I
must spend by the end of the year or forfeit to the IRS.
I will probably spend it on prescription sunglasses. What are the best
sunglasses for flying if money is no object (I REALLY miscalculated)? I
already have a pair of prescription ray-bans which are pretty good but
not so great in hazy, glary conditions.
I'd like to hear any opinions on this, like are mirrored shades better
at reflecting bright light? ARe wraparounds really better at protecting
your eyes from all angles? Etc.

xyzzy wrote:

I miscalculated my health benefits. I expected to have to pay cash for
my medical and for some diagnostic tests that I needed to have to get
the medical, but my HMO ended up picking up all of it. So I have a
signficant surplus in my healthcare flexible spending account that I
must spend by the end of the year or forfeit to the IRS.

I will probably spend it on prescription sunglasses. What are the best
sunglasses for flying if money is no object (I REALLY miscalculated)? I
already have a pair of prescription ray-bans which are pretty good but
not so great in hazy, glary conditions.

I'd like to hear any opinions on this, like are mirrored shades better
at reflecting bright light? ARe wraparounds really better at protecting
your eyes from all angles? Etc.

Do a google "group" search. This has been covered before (starting on
7/06/2004)in either the student or piloting news group. The subject
line was "sunglasses" There was a lot of good information there. It
also indicated that the preference depended on the individual. I liked
the "hidalgos" company that can provide prescription glasses in frames
by several different companies.

They also have a good disertation on what each type has to offer.

http://www.hidalgos.com/

"xyzzy" wrote in message
...
I miscalculated my health benefits. I expected to have to pay cash for
my medical and for some diagnostic tests that I needed to have to get
the medical, but my HMO ended up picking up all of it. So I have a
signficant surplus in my healthcare flexible spending account that I
must spend by the end of the year or forfeit to the IRS.

I will probably spend it on prescription sunglasses. What are the best
sunglasses for flying if money is no object (I REALLY miscalculated)? I
already have a pair of prescription ray-bans which are pretty good but
not so great in hazy, glary conditions.

I'd like to hear any opinions on this, like are mirrored shades better
at reflecting bright light? ARe wraparounds really better at protecting
your eyes from all angles? Etc.

Here's my tuppence -- First off, even though everone tells me glass
is too much heavier than plastic, I've always opted for glass. I've heard
many people with lenses from the discount places complain about how quickly
their lenses became scratched. That, I think is the cause of the glare
problem -- the diffraction caused by direct light on the lens surface. I'm
using the word lens here because I don't think anyone wears "plastics" and
spectacles are old fashioned in any case.
My last pair (of glasses) suffered one small nick from being dropped.
I used paper, cloth, Kleenex, lens wipes, and soap and water to clean them
whereas I've heard plastic lenses require more consideration.
When I decided to switch from Photogray lenses to 'real' sunglasses,
the optometrist technicican asked if I wanted gray or brown coating, or
maybe some other color. I picked up on the word coating pretty quick. It was
explained that a film of plastic would be deposited on the lens to make
sunglasses out of regular clear lenses. I didn't like that, mostly because
the coating is vulnerable to scratching -- in my opinion. After haggling a
while she agreed to find a source of truly brown glass. That is pigment is
mixed into the glass during the manufacturing process. That cost me extra
bucks and I am delighted with them.
Mirrored surfaces can be more or less effective than other lenses. The
important factor is the transmissivity. Unless of course, you want to appear
as a 'kewl dude' in which case you need the mirrors.
I was issued and wore wrap-around safety glasses for a couple years,
including tinted lenses for outdoor work. When I quit wearing them, like
after quitting time on the job, I never missed them. Except for protecting
my eyes from debris coming in from the sides, I don't think they were of
much value. Certainly not from glare.

To make a long story short: I've finally bought Zeiss Skylet lenses and
just love them. Many pilots love their Serengettis, but I think my
Zeisses are superior. The only drawback is that I have to care not to
sit on them.

They have a web site: http://www.zeiss.com

Stefan

I use a set of Oakley X Metal's with black iridium lenses, they've made
flying in glare and haze a real treat as the resolution and clarity is
second to none - my instructor went and bought a pair after trying mine.
Plus you have the knowledge that with Oakley you're getting first class
protection from all of the nasties.

I've even found that flying an approach into the sun is not as stressful as
it once was as the glare is almost negligible, IMHO give them a try, I'm
sure you'll love them.

Andy

Get whatever you want but make sure that you get Non-polorized lenses.
It makes seeing your instruments easier.

Jon Kraus
PP-ASEL-IA
Student Mooney purchaser

xyzzy wrote:
I miscalculated my health benefits. I expected to have to pay cash for
my medical and for some diagnostic tests that I needed to have to get
the medical, but my HMO ended up picking up all of it. So I have a
signficant surplus in my healthcare flexible spending account that I
must spend by the end of the year or forfeit to the IRS.

I will probably spend it on prescription sunglasses. What are the best
sunglasses for flying if money is no object (I REALLY miscalculated)? I
already have a pair of prescription ray-bans which are pretty good but
not so great in hazy, glary conditions.

I'd like to hear any opinions on this, like are mirrored shades better
at reflecting bright light? ARe wraparounds really better at protecting
your eyes from all angles? Etc.

One important factor to remember about sunglasses for pilots is that most of
us wear headsets these days. Any but the thinnest (and, preferably,
flattest) of frame temples can be a pain after a few hours of being pressed
into your head.

The most comfortable pair of sunglasses I ever owned had carbon fiber
frames. The temples were extremely thin and flexible, yet ultra-strong.
Match that with quality ground glass lenses (bifocals, of course, for us old
farts) in dark neutral gray (I think lighter gray in he near vision area
would be good), and you probably have as close to ideal as possible. Oh,
and by the way, avoid polarized lenses. They are good for cutting glare,
but since many avionics face panels are also polarized (for the same reason)
using them can turn these face panels opaque.

Why glass, given the weight penalty? MUCH better scratch resistance, and
can safely be cleaned in flight without fussing about what sort of cloth you
are using. Of course, if you require a severe correction (i.e. you are very
nearsighted or farsighted), the lenses have to be thicker and the weight
penalty for glass becomes larger.

Bottom line: if you have a big budget for prescription sunglasses, shop
first for the frames that fit best and feel most comfortable. Take your
headset to the optician's for a trial "under pressure". You may have to
visit several stores to find the perfect frames.

-Elliott Drucker

On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 21:59:48 +0000 (UTC), "Norfolk and Chance"
wrote:

I use a set of Oakley X Metal's with black iridium lenses, they've made
flying in glare and haze a real treat as the resolution and clarity is
second to none - my instructor went and bought a pair after trying mine.
Plus you have the knowledge that with Oakley you're getting first class
protection from all of the nasties.

I've even found that flying an approach into the sun is not as stressful as
it once was as the glare is almost negligible, IMHO give them a try, I'm
sure you'll love them.

I also have a pair of Oakley's (Oakley Five 2.0, in this case) and I
love them. The wraparound is wonderful and you get perfectly clear
vision clear out to the edge of the lenses. The Oakely Five's have
very thick plastic frames, and I thought this would be a problem with
my DC headset, but I haven't had any problems (although my longest
flight has only been 1.9 hours so far -- I'm still a student).

-- Bryan

On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 22:45:00 GMT, Jon Kraus
wrote:

Get whatever you want but make sure that you get Non-polorized lenses.
It makes seeing your instruments easier.

Why is this? I know that polarized lenses cause weird problems with
LCD panels, but how do polarized lenses make the aircraft instruments
harder to see?

-- Bryan