Vision limiting with Lightspeed & glasses

[PaulH]

I took my checkride yesterday, and when I attached my Sporty's
flip-down foggles to my glasses, the examiner nearly had heart failure
- "you can't use those!!!!!!!" She said they allow too much
peripheral vision to permit transition to in-cloud flight. We
completed the checkride with a cardboard hood that sort of worked, but
I'd like to find something that
a. works well with glasses
b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
c. allows good view of panel without turning head
d. light weight
e. eliminates peripheral vision

Opinions desired.

[PaulaJay1]

In article >,
(PaulH) writes:

>I took my checkride yesterday, and when I attached my Sporty's
>flip-down foggles to my glasses, the examiner nearly had heart failure
>- "you can't use those!!!!!!!" She said they allow too much
>peripheral vision to permit transition to in-cloud flight. We
>completed the checkride with a cardboard hood that sort of worked, but
>I'd like to find something that
>a. works well with glasses
>b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
>c. allows good view of panel without turning head
>d. light weight
>e. eliminates peripheral vision
>

I use ( and used on my check ride) the "IFR Training Glasses" as shown on page
45 of the Sporty's Sept-Dec catalog.They do a pretty good job of limiting
peripheral vision but most of the view limiting devices can be "cheated" if you
want. I wear glasses and have Light Speed 25 s. They are not as easy to get
on and off as the flipups would be. I generally take off the head set, put on
the foggles over my regular glasses and then put the headset back on. you can
take off the foggles without taking off the headset.

Still, simulation is not the same as the real thing.

Chuck

[Dan Luke]

"PaulH" wrote:
> I'd like to find something that
> a. works well with glasses
> b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
> c. allows good view of panel without turning head
> d. light weight
> e. eliminates peripheral vision

I use the flip-down foggles, too. I cover the peripheral areas with slip-on
safety side shields painted black. They are available at safety supply
stores.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[Ray Andraka]

I use a device called a hoodlamb. It is a little box like thing with a cut-out
that clamps to the stirrups on your headset and can be raised up to restore normal
vision easily. It fits over sunglasses. Works wonderfully, doesn't block the view
of the safety pilot but does a quite effective job at blocking peripheral vision.
The slot is sort of a T shaped slot, and the resulting horns make it hard to read a
chart. I cut those horns off so I could look down easier. One caveat is that it
may need modification to go onto headsets that don't have the approx 1/4 inch metal
stirrups like the DCs or sigtronics.

PaulaJay1 wrote:

> In article >,
> (PaulH) writes:
>
> >I took my checkride yesterday, and when I attached my Sporty's
> >flip-down foggles to my glasses, the examiner nearly had heart failure
> >- "you can't use those!!!!!!!" She said they allow too much
> >peripheral vision to permit transition to in-cloud flight. We
> >completed the checkride with a cardboard hood that sort of worked, but
> >I'd like to find something that
> >a. works well with glasses
> >b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
> >c. allows good view of panel without turning head
> >d. light weight
> >e. eliminates peripheral vision
> >
>
> I use ( and used on my check ride) the "IFR Training Glasses" as shown on page
> 45 of the Sporty's Sept-Dec catalog.They do a pretty good job of limiting
> peripheral vision but most of the view limiting devices can be "cheated" if you
> want. I wear glasses and have Light Speed 25 s. They are not as easy to get
> on and off as the flipups would be. I generally take off the head set, put on
> the foggles over my regular glasses and then put the headset back on. you can
> take off the foggles without taking off the headset.
>
> Still, simulation is not the same as the real thing.
>
> Chuck

--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950
email
http://www.andraka.com

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759

[Alan Wolfson]

I use an ASA product called Overcasters. They are clip on and flip up and down, made of black plastic and
include blinders on the side. Spinners Pilot Shop has them for $17.95.

I love them because they are light and readily flip up to allow landing or looking for the airport at DH. They are
very light weight. I use them with Lightspeed headsets, although the headset shouldn't matter since they clip on
your glasses and do not touch the headset.

Alan



"PaulH" > wrote in message om...
> I took my checkride yesterday, and when I attached my Sporty's
> flip-down foggles to my glasses, the examiner nearly had heart failure
> - "you can't use those!!!!!!!" She said they allow too much
> peripheral vision to permit transition to in-cloud flight. We
> completed the checkride with a cardboard hood that sort of worked, but
> I'd like to find something that
> a. works well with glasses
> b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
> c. allows good view of panel without turning head
> d. light weight
> e. eliminates peripheral vision
>
> Opinions desired.

[Sylvain]

(PaulH) wrote in message >...
> I took my checkride yesterday, and when I attached my Sporty's
> flip-down foggles to my glasses, the examiner nearly had heart failure
> - "you can't use those!!!!!!!" She said they allow too much
> peripheral vision to permit transition to in-cloud flight. We
> completed the checkride with a cardboard hood that sort of worked, but
> I'd like to find something that
> a. works well with glasses
> b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
> c. allows good view of panel without turning head
> d. light weight
> e. eliminates peripheral vision
>
> Opinions desired.

I have a lightspeed headset (20XL) and wear glasses; I did try
a number of things out there, including these flip down thingies,
but never quite was happy with them; either unconfortable, or
allows way too much peripheral vision; I am now using the
"Francis IFR Hood" (do a google search, a number of shops around
there sell this item); difficult to beat in term of peripheral
vision elimination; and it is confortable, even after a several hours;
the thing though is that it takes some time to get used to it, because
it actually does block off any peripheral vision; I know some people
actually hate this hood because of that, but then it makes flying
in actual comparatively easier, which is precisely what I am trying
to achieve :-)

--Sylvain

[Thomas Borchert]

PaulH,

I am using ASA's Overcasters, too. I am not sure what, if any, the
legal requirements for view limiting devices are and what rights an
examiner has to determine them. Anybody?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Stan Gosnell]

(PaulH) wrote in
om:

> I took my checkride yesterday, and when I attached my Sporty's
> flip-down foggles to my glasses, the examiner nearly had heart failure
> - "you can't use those!!!!!!!" She said they allow too much
> peripheral vision to permit transition to in-cloud flight. We
> completed the checkride with a cardboard hood that sort of worked, but
> I'd like to find something that
> a. works well with glasses
> b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
> c. allows good view of panel without turning head
> d. light weight
> e. eliminates peripheral vision
>
> Opinions desired.

She's full of crap, but she's the examiner, so it's hard to argue at the
time. I also use a flip-down device that attaches to my glasses. It
allows no more peripheral vision than a hood. I don't like peripheral
vision anyway, it just distracts me. Our company check pilots don't like
my device much either, but they let me use it. IME, as long as you can't
see the horizon out the windshield, that's enough view-limiting.

I've seen people use the large all-around sunglasses, with most of the
lenses covered or scratched, and lots of other things, but they all allow
too much noise into the headset because the temples are too big, and they
cause me too much pain from the pressure. There is a hood made by (I
think) Sanderson, that attaches via an elastic band, that our check pilots
use, but I don't like it much. It gives me tunnel vision, but it works
over almost anything, especially after the band gets stretched way out.

--
Regards,

Stan

[Rod Madsen]

I also bought the Sporty's flip down device which is supposed to clamp to
you ear phones. They don't work with David Clark phones so I returned them
and got the Francis hood. It's right next to the flip-downs in Sporty's
catalog.

Rod
"Sylvain" > wrote in message
om...
> (PaulH) wrote in message
>...
> > I took my checkride yesterday, and when I attached my Sporty's
> > flip-down foggles to my glasses, the examiner nearly had heart failure
> > - "you can't use those!!!!!!!" She said they allow too much
> > peripheral vision to permit transition to in-cloud flight. We
> > completed the checkride with a cardboard hood that sort of worked, but
> > I'd like to find something that
> > a. works well with glasses
> > b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
> > c. allows good view of panel without turning head
> > d. light weight
> > e. eliminates peripheral vision
> >
> > Opinions desired.
>
> I have a lightspeed headset (20XL) and wear glasses; I did try
> a number of things out there, including these flip down thingies,
> but never quite was happy with them; either unconfortable, or
> allows way too much peripheral vision; I am now using the
> "Francis IFR Hood" (do a google search, a number of shops around
> there sell this item); difficult to beat in term of peripheral
> vision elimination; and it is confortable, even after a several hours;
> the thing though is that it takes some time to get used to it, because
> it actually does block off any peripheral vision; I know some people
> actually hate this hood because of that, but then it makes flying
> in actual comparatively easier, which is precisely what I am trying
> to achieve :-)
>
> --Sylvain

[Tarver Engineering]

"Stan Gosnell" > wrote in message
...
> (PaulH) wrote in
> om:
>
> > I took my checkride yesterday, and when I attached my Sporty's
> > flip-down foggles to my glasses, the examiner nearly had heart failure
> > - "you can't use those!!!!!!!" She said they allow too much
> > peripheral vision to permit transition to in-cloud flight. We
> > completed the checkride with a cardboard hood that sort of worked, but
> > I'd like to find something that
> > a. works well with glasses
> > b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
> > c. allows good view of panel without turning head
> > d. light weight
> > e. eliminates peripheral vision
> >
> > Opinions desired.
>
> She's full of crap, but she's the examiner, so it's hard to argue at the
> time.

Besides that, the examiner's arbitrary decision is an excellent way to
stress the student.

[Snowbird]

(PaulH) wrote in message >...
> I took my checkride yesterday, and when I attached my Sporty's
> flip-down foggles to my glasses, the examiner nearly had heart failure
> - "you can't use those!!!!!!!"
> I'd like to find something that
> a. works well with glasses
> b. can wear with my Lightspeed 25xl headphones
> c. allows good view of panel without turning head
> d. light weight
> e. eliminates peripheral vision

> Opinions desired.

How about instructions instead? :) I face the same issues -- hoodlamb
doesn't work w/ lightspeeds.

What I did is take an ordinary pair of cheap clip-on, flip-down
sunglasses. I taped black construction paper to the front and
fiddled until I cut out a good instrument viewing window in a
rectangle shape across the bottom. Then I got craft foam (buy at
Wal-mart, Michaels, JoAnnes etc--$.25-.80), a thin sheet of closed
cell foam. I
cut a front piece and glued over my clip-ons, cut both foam and
clip-ons
using construction paper as a template. I cut side pieces and glued
them to the front using craft glue with triangular shaped small
braces.
The foam extends above the glasses and I cut it to a curve to fit my
forehead so I can flip the glasses up but it blocks additional visual
cues when it's down.

Advantages: cheap, light, wear w/ lightspeeds and glasses, blocks
peripheral vision very well. make them as view-limiting as you
like, customized to your instrument panel.

Disadvantages: block peripheral vision when flipped up (but are
easily removed completely). it does take two hands (so far) to
put them on neatly.