Microlighters

Hi guys, I've been asked to do an article for the AFSKIES mag on the topic of correctional eyewear.

For all the very unforunate people that have to wear spectacle, contact lenses ect , please post / pm me all your flying/spectacle related questions to help me put someting together as i do not wear spectacles myself and its difficult to write something or give advise on the matter.

I am also looking into goggles with variable tint prescription lenses (transitions - changes from clear to dark & visa versa according to light intesity) for those whom might be interested.

Any feedback would be appreciated.


Stephan Du Plessis - (aka Slow Poke)
Spec savers Kuruman
082 921 5396

look at this months Aviation and Safety magazine (or maybee it was SA flyer?) there is an artice on polaroid lenses and the airline pilot - although it probably wont worry us but they were demonstrating how the polaroid lenses have an effect on the thick windscreen of the cockpit glass actually making vision impossible.

I wear contacts which seem to help a lot as I can then wear sunglasses over them (i fy 3 axis so I have a windshield)
One thing I sometimes struggle with when wearing sunglasses is when looking out the a/c where it is bright and then down to the digital instruments where it is darker and having to let my eyes adjust

Slow Poke,

I am far sighted and need to wear glasses for close up work. I wear bifocals and not varifocals. I find the modern frame sizes are very narrow and the glasses are too small to allow for enough long distance, medium distance and closeup vision. (In other words the area of glasses dedicated to each of these is very small and you have to be precise, holding your head still at a particular angle to see through them). Also I found that the closeup section is in the center bottom of the lens. Since I fly 3-axis and I usually have a wide dash in front of me I got irritated with constantly having to turn my head to get the other half of the dash or the GPS in focus instead of just glancing over. I specifically decided on making the whole bottom half of the lens for closeup, wide-angle view of the dash and the upper half for long distance viewing. Obviously the negative is viewing directly down the side as you are now looking through the closeup lens but I have learned to crane my neck a bit more and look through the top half.

I have never had a problem judging the round-out because the lower half of my vision is dominated by the dash. I could imagine this being a problem with the trike where the runway is seen between your feet which will be blurred.

Transition lenses vary too slowly to be effective. In a cockpit you are not necessarily in direct sunlight so they don't tend to work either.

Re: Polarised Lenses / Sunglasses, they are definately not for the fly boys, even microlight (3 axis / weight shif) especially with the new LCD displays and GPS's available today. Its a pitty though, they realy reduce glare, reduce eye strain and are very comfortable to wear but not destined for us!

Polarods suck - thought i was going blind but it was the effect on the helmet Visor or the screen in the BB
Definately a no no for flying
I bought a cheap pair of plastic "greenies" and they work just fine, the brown tints are worst makes everything oook darker than it is
Actually find i only really use them when flying into Sun, otherwise prefer to fly without , which is a pain when flying the trike to get them on & off under helmet & headsets

I believe RayBan have a lens specifically for pilots

The frames I have came with a set of dark lenses that clip onto the glasses with two small magnets on the temples. (don't laugh, they are not the dumb clip-on, flip-up ones) These were a great idea because they were an exact fit to the frame and were optically neutral. The problem I got using them was glare from the side would reflect against the back of the normal lens as well as against the back of the dark lenses that were situated a few mm forward. The result is you have a double image of the reflection and this is a pain. Eventually the clip on's blew off in the wind while riding my bike and I never even bothered to stop and go find them.

I would like to get a really nice set of prescription lenses with a permanent tint and UV protection but can still be used in the shade of the cockpit. Obviously since Medical Aid won't pay for these a decent price would be nice as well

I have Oakley polariods that do not interfere at all with flying. I will not wear any other type of glasses and they are best for cutting out glare, and the grey lenses don't change colour perception (important in my line of work as a subtle green tinge in a rock could mean the next palabowa).

On my equipment I get no interference, on the schools helmet visor i get rainbow effects when looking at water from the air. But no problem with digital displays... I have a Garman 196 and I have to put my head on its side before the display blanks out. Just check before you buy.

guys, just throwing Bacardi's original post into the mix this is what got me thinking it would make a good read for African Skies:
"I have a problem.
I wear mutifocals, like my medical certificate says I must.
When I fly, I cannot see Terra Firma, she is a blur. When I land, I have to literally guess where I want to be. Anything above normal horizon is crisp, as I am farsighted. Below that is drawn into incremental depth distortion.
The result is that I donned Oakley goggles supplied generously by my good friend Eyetie on the forum, minus the glassware, and with the analogues fitted on the trike, am having a jol, enjoying the scenery and landing problems solved.
Fortunately the ICOM A4 radio is a touch up or down to whom you want to talk to.
My problem is how to read the GPS.
Any ideas?
Bac"

afskies wrote:
My problem is how to read the GPS.
Any ideas?
Bac"

What GPS is it I would say the best is to pre set where you going and declutter and set it as large a display as possible with zooming in.
It is difficult to see the smaller stuff I struggle to see what the scale is when it is on map mode i.e. the little line with the measurement next to it like 3 or 5 natical miles whatever it is. It is mounted on my dash and if Im harnessed in cant really lean forward to get a closer look

afskies wrote:guys, just throwing Bacardi's original post into the mix

My original reply to Bac's post .....

Hi Bac,

Your lenses are too small and the section for far sight is too narrow. Get bigger lenses and ensure that at least 50% [top half] of the lens is prescribed for your far sight.

I wore new slightly smaller glasses half way through solo and found many differences, for example, my wheels would touch the runway when I “saw” that I was still 1 metre above the runway.

Went back to the optician and she compared the lenses [old vs. new], admitted her mistake and gave me new lenses.

I had explained to her that I was an “appy pilot” and needed a big field for far sight.

Regards
John ZU-CIB