which Sunglasses are best for flying?

[davidsguerra]

i usually get cheap sunglasses but i am considering a better pair for the plane. i am looking at Serengetis with the drivers lens. any suggestions? polarized or not polarized ?

[M016576]

I like a pair with thin frames (more comfort under the headset) and contrast enhancing lenses.

I wear a pair of Oliver People's Victory sunglasses with amber lenses- they work well for me with no hotspots under the Bose headset due to the sunglasses arms. I like the amber or yellow lenses for contrast enhancement (personal preference). Polarized work well at altitude too. I used to wear a pair of Black Flys micro fly sunglasses (~$20) which are durable and have a polarized lens, but once I tried the contrast enhancing colored lenses, I couldn't go back...

[John Pleisse]

I have the Serengetti's. I use them for fishing and can see bait and hiding fish better than anything. Flying, I like the Maui Jim's. I usually wait for a sale at Costco. The brown polarized, anti glare is the best and worth every penny. I climb out in the east coast muck and haze in the summer and it is literally night and day. Sometimes I lift the glasses just to watch all the cloud formations disappear to the naked eye. A safety enhancement.

http://www.sunglasshut.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchDisplay?searchTermScope=&searchType=1000&filterTerm=&orderBy=5&maxPrice=&showResultsPage=true&pageType=brands-Maui+Jim&langId=-1&beginIndex=0&sType=SimpleSearch&metaData=&pageSize=&manufacturer=&resultCatEntryType=&catalogId=10101&pageView=image&searchTerm=&facet=ads_f18_ntk_cs%253AAviator%252FPilot&minPrice=&categoryId=10534&storeId=10152&filterFacet=

[danb35]

I like polarized lenses for the reasons mentioned--better contrast, better color rendition, reduced glare. However, they may interfere with the screens on some electronics. In particular, with my Maui Jim polarized lenses, the screen on my iPad blacks out completely in the vertical orientation. In the horizontal orientation, it's just fine.

[DaV8or]

I use polarized sunglasses now and they work great for looking outside the airplane, it really cuts the haze, but inside, not so much. If you have any flat panel displays, it makes viewing them awkward, not impossible, just awkward. When I'm due for a new set of glasses, I'm likely to go with these-

VedaloHD

I was really impressed with them when I checked them out at the AOPA Summit. They have frames with memory metal, like Flexon, so they are nearly indistructable and they can do wrap around lenses with progressive prescriptions! Nice. Of course, like everything I seem to want, not cheap...

[Hank]

I've been wearing brown sunglasses ever since I stumbled onto Ray Ban driving glasses! Wonderful! Brown polarized is even better.

Never had a problem seeing anything in the car or in the plane, but I have steam gages. There was a digital clock I recently could see better without them, but I was at a pretty shallow angle--it was way off to the right but only a little ahead. So in twenty years, there has been one LCD clock that was a problem.

Don't need to worry about how thick the arms are anymore, since I now wear a Halo headset.

Wear what is comfortable, get driving glasses, polarized or not. I swear by polarized brown, some people sweat at them.

[David Mazer]

I have avoided polarized lenses due to the problems with the screens but I may try them again if nobody else is having a problem. I also use sunglasses with a gradient shading on the lens so I can see charts in my lap where it isn't nearly as bright.

[Txbyker]

For the older pilots these things work great. http://www.av-sun.com/ There are "readers" in the bottom that are clear, tinted on the top.

[kortopates]

VedaloHD

I was really impressed with them when I checked them out at the AOPA Summit. They have frames with memory metal, like Flexon, so they are nearly indistructable and they can do wrap around lenses with progressive prescriptions! Nice. Of course, like everything I seem to want, not cheap...

+1 - I ordered a perscription pair with progressive lens at last years Summit in Long Beach and love them. They provide excellent contrast and are very comfortable with headsets. Prior to the Vedalo I used the Serengetti with vermilion lenses. Some years ago, Aviation Consumer used to quote NASA's research in recommending a rose colored tint for the most effective contrast in the cockpit and found the Serengetti vermilion the closest to NASA's recommendation - at least that's what I recall. Orange also provides excellent constrast but is optimized for shaded/flat light and doesn't provide enough protection in the bright sun IMO.

Iam surprised so many are in favor of Polarized sunglasses in the cockpit - they are a definite hindrance in mine viewing panel displays. For those of us flying at altitude, its very critical that our sunglasses provide 100% UV A & B protection - luckily most do these days.

[fantom]

After years of avoiding polarized sunglasses, I tried a pair last year, and have no issues with them in the air. I like Ray Bans, and now have 3445's. Here's a good site: http://www.framesdirect.com/framesfc/RayBan-lalhpi-slb-l.html

[John Pleisse]

_{With brown polarized, I see TFT's but not LED's. Aspens, Garmins are highly viewable. LED's like the Shadin (completely canceled out), Droid and Apple, not so much. But if you are aware of the limitations to your cockpit viewing, letting the glasses droop while looking inside works well and is worth the effort.}

[jdrake]

I've had a pair of the Vedalo HD sunglasses for about 18 months now (bought them at SnF in 2011). The frames are very comfortable, particularly under the earcup of the headset. The optics are fine as well. No distortion to be found.

I have to give Vedalo very high marks for customer service. I bought the Azzuro style and quickly realized that I needed more eye coverage. They very happily exchanged them for the Argento at absolutely no cost or complaint. Then, early on, one of the screws holding the lens to the bridge backed out and the glasses were unusable. They overnighted a repair kit. Just about a month ago, the screw backed out again. I wasn't happy and sent them an email. Almost instantly, I got an apologetic phone call. The representative asked for my address and overnighted a brand new pair (along with yet another repair kit). Let's hope the first pair was just a lemon.

WRT polarization, I think it's been covered well already. The Vedalos are non-polarized. Occasionally, I fly with polarized lenses. I can see my Aspen, 430W and 496 perfectly. I cannot, however, see the iPad right under my nose very well. Apparently, it's antiglare is not on a 45' angle so viewing it is difficult in portrait or landscape. I have to tilt the iPad or my head 45' to see it when wearing polarized.

[DrBill]

I have several pair of American Optical Aviators, sold at base Exchange for c$25/pair. My last teaching assistant was an AFROTC flight school candidate and when he got his latest uniform, he got me another pair. I like them because they have VERY dark lenses.

Bill

[gregwatts]

With the Serengettis, you will gain 3-4 knots during climbout!

[M016576]

With the Serengettis, you will gain 3-4 knots during climbout!

Is that due to a reduction in gross weight (ie cash no longer in the wallet?)? J/K!

[jlunseth]

I have two pairs or Ray Ban Aviators. Glass lenses, not polarized. Having old eyes, I now need one magnification to read the panel well, and another to see objects at a distance. I also wanted the "objects at a distance" part of the lens to be dark, and the "panel reading" part to be clear, to give me good light conditions reading the panel. I got the Ray Ban's custom made, they weren't cheap but they were absolutely ideal. I have a hard time taking them off.

[omega708]

I too fly in Maui Jim's and polarized lenses are my preference. They are a little on the expensive side, but a pair normally lasts me 4-5 years and I personally feel that they are worth every penny. Flying, driving, and day to day. I wear significantly cheaper / but still polarized glasses when I'm out on the water however.

-JLG

[marks]

If you like polarized lenses (like me) I strongly suggest that you google "NXT sunglasses". I bought two pairs of Old Harbor Outfitters Atlantis model polarized glasses made of NXT. The polarizing film is sandwiched between two layers of NXT. If you drop them they just never scratch. At $99 I was just amazed at how well they work and now own two pair with brown and gray lenses. I have owned several other pairs of much more expensive glasses over the years, including some mentioned above, but these are my favorites. The NXT used to be far more expensive but not anymore. The screws are drilled through the NXT to hold the frames.

[Marauder]

For the older pilots these things work great. http://www.av-sun.com/ There are "readers" in the bottom that are clear, tinted on the top.

Thanks for posting this link. I'm one that falls into this category. I have the mildest of corrections but when lower light conditions exist (like when you are wearing sunglasses) I have a harder time reading without some sort of correction. I looked into the OPTX stick-on for my Serengetis but they are sold out everywhere and have been for months.

I've had issues with polarized lenses and seeing the electronics in the airplane without distortion and switched over to the Serengetis. Love the contrast they provide on clouds.

[BigTex]

For those folks that need reading glasses, you might want to try Hazebuster sunglasses. I have a pair with the bifocal reading glasses and they work pretty well.

http://hazebuster.com/s/catalog/index.php?cPath=27&osCsid=3cmhnvlir5ojpfv2b2ob5og6q0

[320KPH]

I found the Ray Ban Polarised Glasses to be very easy to scratch. Nothing like the non-polarised Ray Bans. I won't be buying them again.

[Piloto]

For the older pilots these things work great. http://www.av-sun.com/ There are "readers" in the bottom that are clear, tinted on the top.

How old you have to be to benefit from them? I don't want to put on something that makes me looks older, gray hair is already bad enough.

José

[David Mazer]

If you have hair you don't get to complain that it is gray!