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Which Sunglasses?

Duc'-guy25

Duc'-guy25

Well-Known Member
pilot
I have finally lost my most recent pair of sunglasses (albeit it wasn't over the bridge wing docking the boat for once). I've been brand loyal to Maui Jim's due to their superior lens quality and polarization. I haven't had to fly anything that had polarized MFD's so I'm not sure if polarization will be an issue in the future. If at all possible I'd like to stick to polarized lenses, but if not does anyone have good recommendations for non-sport sunglasses for driving and flying. I'd really like to not resort to my HGU-4/P's as the issued ones aren't exactly my favorites, but I do see dudes here and there rocking the non-issued randolph's. Cheers.

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Also, if Mad Dog jacks this thread too, probably just best to merge it with the watch one...
 
ChuckMK23

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
Polarized glasses are no bueno for flying - between LCD/CRT displays and windshield glass coatings.

the HGU-4/P's are pretty good, proven. You can get the same style frames with upgraded lenses from Randolph or AO. Oakley, RB's are all good as well.
 
sevenhelmet

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
Wiley X makes solid sunglasses at a great price. Their shades, like Oakleys, are also ballistic rated if you spend any time at a shooting range. I have a set of Wiley X wraps for sport use, and a set of Oakley aviator style for driving. Neither is polarized, and I've never once wished I had polarized sunglasses.

The Wiley-Xs are cheap enough that if you tear up or lose a pair every 6-12 months (like I do), you don't feel too bad about replacing them. Oakleys are about 3x the price, so I tend to baby them.
 
Tycho_Brohe

Tycho_Brohe

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
For non-sport type glasses, I use Brando from Serengeti. They're non-polarized, graduated lenses (the top half is darker than the bottom half), and they're brown tinted, all of which is pretty nice for both flying and driving. The stems are thin, so they fit nicely under headsets or ball caps or whatnot. Downside is, they feel fairly fragile. I also have one pair each of Oakley Two-Face in polarized and non-polarized (I tend to use the polarized ones more for driving and off-duty in general).
Haven't had any issue with the polarization affecting the windscreen in my truck, but YMMV. But yeah, they're a non-starter in the P-8, it makes a weird artifact on the windscreen, and when you look down to change a radio, the screen disappears because it's pretty much right at that 45 degree angle. Interestingly, the PFD's/MFD are polarized at a different angle than the standby flight display, so if you tilt your head to the right, the ISFD is the only screen you can still see. And if you tilt left, only the ISFD disappears. So even though you're not allowed to fly with polarized glasses, they planned for it anyway in the design.
 
sevenhelmet

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
Tycho_Brohe said:
So even though you're not allowed to fly with polarized glasses, they planned for it anyway in the design.
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I doubt the panel's designers intended you to tilt your head side-to-side in a perpetual partial-panel game while flying the aircraft. If they had planned for polarized lenses, then all the displays would be readable from a normal pilot's eye position while flying. I'd say what you observe is more of an accident of how the displays are installed, rather than an intended outcome.
 
Duc'-guy25

Duc'-guy25

Well-Known Member
pilot
sevenhelmet said:
Wiley X makes solid sunglasses at a great price. Their shades, like Oakleys, are also ballistic rated if you spend any time at a shooting range. I have a set of Wiley X wraps for sport use, and a set of Oakley aviator style for driving. Neither is polarized, and I've never once wished I had polarized sunglasses.

The Wiley-Xs are cheap enough that if you tear up or lose a pair every 6-12 months (like I do), you don't feel too bad about replacing them. Oakleys are about 3x the price, so I tend to baby them.
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I didn't even know WX made sunglasses, I just see every kid rocking their gloves... I'll look into them though, ballistic for the range is a plus. Yea...I tend to run through a pair of sunglasses every year, and that starts adding up with the Maui's.

Tycho_Brohe said:
I use Brando from Serengeti.
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Yea I've never really looked into Serengeti, but they're kind of catching my eye. I could always get away with polarized in the plane before in the pinch that I didn't plan on needing them or forgot them. If I thought I was going to need sunglasses at a point I usually just threw the issued ones in the speed jeans, but sometimes I'd forget to grab them off the desk and resorted to what I had at hand. Since there were only two polarized instruments that weren't regularly scanned and it just took a quick dip of the head to see them. Good contender!

pilot_man said:
You obviously don’t fish.

I’ve never worn sunglasses in the plane, that’s what the really expensive visor is for.
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Yea polarized is a must on the water, regular lenses just didn't cut down on the glare enough especially when your play slalom with the third world country fishing fleets with the sun low on the horizon. I agree the visor does a pretty good job (as it should), but unlike the helo bros I could never have both a clear and tinted visor on the twilight launches so I usually just ran the clear with the shades. Never found a good place to stash the spare visor.
 
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