Bird Strikes/Visor Protection Help Needed

[insanebikerboy]

Wiley X's are becoming increasingly common in the H-60S community for goggle flights. Many guys leave them on for the entire flight. I'm not that big a fan since mine tend to fog up.

I wear them when I've got goggles on. In reference to Pags, I wear a pair that doesn't really restrict peripheral.

 

[Gatordev]

So is wearing glasses while wearing goggles like wearing your Wiley Xs? I've never heard of Wiley Xs, but am guessing they're Oakley like safety glasses. Since I already have to wear my vision glasses, sounds like something I would pass on anyway.

 

[exhelodrvr]

Xnvyflyer,

Do you do any work with fire buckets? Where do you fly out of?

 

[puck_11]

Two stories from Kingsville: Not bird related but during a night flight a crew was wearing their dark visors up and were forced to eject. Stud took a lot of canopy shrapnel in the eyes, had to have individual pieces of glass surgically removed from his eyeballs as well as a bunch of cuts to his face. Another stud was leading a section into the break at 350kts and took a bird through the canopy. The bird broke through the canopy, smashed into him, broke his mask (so he couldn't talk), and I believe broke his visor as well because he said his eye glass lenses had popped out. I'm sure MB can help fill in the holes of this story as he knows the student as well.

 

[MasterBates]

1st case was a kid who never flew again IIRC (Med Up, but DOR'd)

2nd guy is here at the RAG with me, and I saw that from the RDO shack. Sounds pretty accurate.

I thought the visor issue should have been a push to get studs the bungee visors so we can have both, but we didn't "rate them" (in fact, they took mine away) as students.

 

[sundevil_av8r]

in primary there were several instructors who had a setup which allowed for both a clear and smoke lens. They didn't have the tightening knob on them, but it was nice that they could slide one or the other down. Are these available for jet helmets?

 

[NA29697]

At a safety stand down in HT-8, an IP told us this story (this excerpt from Naval Aviation News May/June 1998)

A T-34C Turbo-Mentor of Training Squadron 6, NAS Whiting Field, Fla., suffered a bird strike just after takeoff on a night training flight on 26 March. The instructor pilot in the front seat, Lt. James Deyo, USCG, was knocked unconscious. The student, 2nd Lt. Bill Howlett, USMC, with only 15 hours of daylight flight time, took over the controls and prepared to land. On approach, the instructor regained consciousness and landed the plane despite
serious facial injuries

The IP's helmet was knocked off of his head into the back cockpit and he actually lost an eye from the bird. Sorry, can't remember if his visor was up or down.

 

[Gatordev]

in primary there were several instructors who had a setup which allowed for both a clear and smoke lens. They didn't have the tightening knob on them, but it was nice that they could slide one or the other down. Are these available for jet helmets?

The T-34 pilots who have those are wearing modded helo helmets to work in the T-34. I would have done it as well (it's a legal mod), but my helmet was deemed NRFI and I didn't want to give up my artwork on my helmet, even if I couldn't use it anymore.

The fleet jet guys do have similar setups. The visor/knob arrangement was an older design, and one I always argued was really stupid in the VTs. I even submitted a safety what'sit to the SO after a knob/FOD HAZREP came out. Why they can't just spend the money on helo helmets for T-34 studs is beyond me. More guys go to South Side anyway, and if they go jets, they'll just get a new helmet and turn in the first one (just like what happens now for guys that go to South Field). I think it's an example of being just safe enough but still being fiscally "responsible."

 

[abracadabra11]

I wear them when I've got goggles on. In reference to Pags, I wear a pair that doesn't really restrict peripheral.

The pair I have also don't restrict peripheral vision.

 

[abracadabra11]

So is wearing glasses while wearing goggles like wearing your Wiley Xs? I've never heard of Wiley Xs, but am guessing they're Oakley like safety glasses. Since I already have to wear my vision glasses, sounds like something I would pass on anyway.

Here's a link to the pair I think I have (it's in my flight bag at the squadron, so not sure it's the exact model): http://www.wileyx.com/EcommSuite/Pr...eriesCode=175&ProductLine=200,SG1&ItemCode=71

They offer prescription-specific Wileys, too. I would try on a pair before dumping the dough. Some guys love em, others don't. Fortunately, I didn't have to pay for mine.

Although the picture looks like a pair of Oakleys, the lens actually wraps around your face enough to not impede your peripheral vision.

 

[PropAddict]

Might try to track down THIS guy:

 

[phrogdriver]

^^That's the Marine mentioned in post 22. He was briefly a squadronmate of mine some years back.

 

[loadtoad]

 

[MasterBates]

That's about what my RAG birdstrike looked like afterwards.

 

[puck_11]

I don't understand why they even issue the knob visor to studs, they just have to issue them a new NVG compatible visor setup once they hit the RAG whether they go jets or helos. Does any platform use that setup in the fleet?