Night Vision Pen is gearing up to start work on the next version of the pen. The first step will be to generate the funds necessary for the design and prototype of the version 2.0. That is going to be done via a Kickstarter campaign with an as yet to be determined date. In the meantime, feel free to post in this thread what you would like to see in a second version of the Night Vision Pen. Obviously not everything will be able to be incorporated, but I want to address as much as possible.
Thoughts after flying with it for awhile on a 9G kneeboard:
Please make NVP v2.0 lighter or the clip stronger. The clip holds it in the kneeboard fine . . . except when you trap on the boat. Then it goes flying out of my kneeboard to the full extension of the lanyard. This probably leads into problem #2.
My lanyard QD just failed today, leading me to ball it and the pen up and throw it in my navbag to avoid cockpit FOD. Thankfully, this happened before takeoff on shore. It didn't physically break (leading to FOD). It just gave up the ghost. If it had happened during a a trap on USS Boat, my AMEs and AMs would be pulling seats and/or floorboards, and calling their DivO an asshole. Probably going to replace the lanyard with a snapring and some 550 cord. I don't know if I'd trust the pen for signalling purposes, anyway. I'd rather use a finger light or flashlight, as they are brighter.
Biases: I'm a FO. It's easier for me to go for my flashlight to signal the other jet versus going for the pen, which is an easier movement. But if the lanyard breaks, as an ex-pilot, I'd hate to be trying to fly the jet and retrieve the damn thing at the same time.