Night Vision Pen

As many of you know, and those of you still in flight school will find out, we place an enormous emphasis on being able to operate tactically at night. In order to do so, we must train heavily in that regime.

I was never very happy with Grimes lights or fingerlights. Never mind flying on goggles in a non-NVD compatible cockpit, where you have to essentially turn out every interior cockpit light. I decided to come up with something better.

The Night Vision Pen was designed, tested, and is currently being used by graduates of TOPGUN, the Rotary Wing Weapons School, the Electronic Attack Weapons School, LSO School, and many other experienced Naval Aviators across all platforms.

By incorporating a small NVD-compatible accessory light into the tip of a pen you are able to have more control over the directionality and use of the light. There is no need to have any other accessory light to see your kneeboard when taking notes or reading your kneeboard card, the light is right there at the ready. While designing the Night Vision Pen, a lanyard loop was added as well to ensure a positive attachment can be achieved with your kneeboard without relying on tape or Velcro which have a tendency to fail.

Using a Night Vision Pen helps reduce cockpit FOD possibilities by bringing less items into the cockpit. The pen is secure and you aren't carrying a fingerlight or chem light with you any longer. In addition to using the Night Vision Pen for standard note taking, reading your kneeboard, and looking at your instruments, it is also excellent for giving night flight deck signals for rogering up your weight board before a cat shot, giving your up or down status post arrested landing, as well as HEFOE signals. LSOs will have an easier time writing down the passes as well on those pitch black nights.

This thread was started to introduce my product to those who may find it helpful and facilitate any questions you may have about the Night Vision Pen. So check it out and ask any questions you may have.

Just curious, does the pen have an IR light setting for emitting solely IR light, or possibly an IR filter?

No, it does not. The only benefit of that would be as a signaling device to others on NVDs. Since nearly all signaling with the Night Vision Pen would be done on the flight deck or between aircraft in section, the complexity of that level of development wasn't added. All issue strobe lights in your survival kit and/or seat pan should have an IR filter so guys on goggles can find you easier at night without lighting up your hideout.

How many pens do you think an aviator might need go through in his/her career considering the limitations of battery life?

I hate to be a nay-sayer, but $110 for a pen with a light on it is pretty expensive. You can buy the exact same thing from the tactical shop at Pensacola NAS except the light is red and the body is plastic, not metal, for about $8.

*****

That being said... I love gadgets and may buy one.

Python1287: The batteries are good for about 7 continuous hours of use at full performance. They don't die straight away, but begin to significantly dim after that. However the batteries are standard LR44 or A76 which can be found at any place like Radio Shack and are user replaceable. The pen should last an entire career if not lost.

exo: It may seem expensive, but no more so than fancy office type pens by Mont Blanc or "tactical" pens from companies like Surefire or Benchmade. A plastic pen with a red light as you mention only costs $8 because if you accidentally step on it, it breaks. The ink cartridge is likely not the Fisher Space Pen cartridge used in my Night Vision Pen which can operate at any angle, when wet, and between -50 to +250 degrees (and is also user replaceable). The red light may be fine in flight school for night flights, but once you start wearing night vision goggles, you will never use a red light again. How many $8 pens will it take to last a career?

The Night Vision Pen is not just a pen, it is a purpose built piece of flight gear that will be used in your profession as an aviator extensively.

I love the idea of this pen, but I have to be honest. I tend to lose anything over $100 that doesn't have four wheels on it. The fact that I've been married 8 months and I haven't lost my ring yet is a miracle (I have had few close calls I love the idea of this pen, and I have no doubt that it's quality is top notch. I just don't know if I could do it. I'd have to kill someone if I lost one of my pens. And I don't want someone to die over a pen.

So, as I was asking earlier, this could be marketable to those outside of the aviation field. Some of us actually have use for tactical signalling devices. And despite being issued an IR strobe, it's a piece that requires a 9V battery to operate. Just a thought or consideration for future improvements.

eas7888: This first version was intended for use primarily as a kneeboard pen. I completely agree with your comments and plan to introduce more models in the future based on demand. Remember, it has a lanyard loop so you can tie it to whatever you need to in order to not loose it!

Dummy cord, well played

Side Story: we had soldiers lose their weapons in Iraq and Kuwait. Yes...I said they lost their weapons. I never figured out how someone could lose an M4, but they did. Because of this, our brigade policy became "All sensitive items will be secured to your person with dummy cord, or locked inside of a secured vehicle. People still lost their weapons or NVGs. There really is no help for some people, and I suppose the point of the story is, not even dummy cord can save me from losing something, I'm just that good at losing expensive items. Before you ask, no, I didn't lose any of THOSE items

Seems like a great idea. It would be great in the field, especially because it's hardened, can be dummy corded, and has the super ludicrous ink cartridge in it. I'm no marketer but if you lowered the price, I think you could get the volume to more than justify it.

I do have a discount program for group/squadron buys. 15 or more pens results in a 15% discount. No coupon code needed, it is automatic in the checkout process. So that drops the price some.

The fact that the point is not retractible is a deal breaker for me. Pen caps FOD out cockpits, and pens with exposed tips get ink all over my flight suit sleeve.

For $110, I want a retractable!

exo, you won't be disappointed. If for some reason you are, there is a 30 day money back guarantee for a full refund.

PropAddict: Some serious thought went into the whole retractable/non-retractalbe. Based on the opinions of numerous aviators, most of which have over ten years each and are weapons school graduates, this version was released with a fixed tip. The consensus was that once attached to the kneeboard, there it will pretty much stay. The fixed tip when attached to the kneeboard means it is always ready to write and doesn't have any adverse effects on your clothing. I hope to start working on a retractable tip version in the near future for those who want to better be able to carry it around in a pocket. Of course, you could always get a pocket protector ...

Cool product, I'll probably be picking one up when I get closer to the NVG portions of our syllabus

Brett327 the diameter is .58", but I think I have you covered. The clip on the Night Vision Pen is pretty big so it slides right onto the hump on a 9G kneeboard. These pictures aren't as good as the photos on my website, but they get the point across. I prefer putting it in the side pocket, but here are some options for keeping the pen at the ready:

^ that the super 9g or something? My 9g only has some loops on the side with a pocket along the leg where I keep my pen. Ever put anything in that small pocket? Seems like anything that would go in there would be a fod hazard more than anything else.

That's a Soft-G kneeboard. It's what I fly with. I have never used the pocket before, but the nice thing is that you can swap the rings from one side to the other. The rings also velcro down, so you can have a checklist for your bad-ass MH-60S on one set of rings, and a checklist for the totally sweet 172 you're going to fly on the weekends, and use the same kneeboard. Plus, the pens are vertical rather than horizontal. I think it's a better kneeboard...

Thanks phrogpilot73, yes it is the soft-G. Once upon a day when I used a pencil on my kneeboard I kelt an eraser in there. Now it is empty. The soft-G is similar to the 9-G, but I like it better for the same reasons phrogpilot73 mentioned.

@ NightVision, looking at that kneeboard organization, you wouldn't happen to have been a Meridian guy in your past life? There was one crusty old sim IP who was very adamant about using that layout. Has always worked well for me since then BTW

I did Whiting, Meridian, then Kingsvie, but I started using the Soft-G in Primary.

Sorry, but that's too expensive for my taste. My preference for night flying is a chemlight. Grab a 6-hr from the PR shop and keep it partially wrapped in the bag. Extend it for more light; retract it for less.

Currently in use by Navy and Army units in Afghansistan, Lemoore, Oceana, and various training command locations.

No way I would ever buy that bulky thing.

Aren't finger lights and mechanical pencils free???