Photocromatic sunglasses

In another thread, some folks mention flying with these "light
sensitive" glasses.

I have a pair, but find I must use clip-ons while driving, as the
glasses apparently react to UV, and the car's windows filter most of
it. I have also found that same effect, though a bit milder in the
sailplane. In my onwn plane I wear sunglasses that fit over my RX
ones. Just got a pair of Bolle (Vigilante) glasses that accept a
prescription insert, and have interchangeable lenses, but they fit
reasonably well over my current glasses, so the insert will be a new
year's present to myself.

When hanging around the airport and taking an occasional hop in the
club 2-seater, I just use my regular glasses, and in both the L-23 and
ASK-21 my glasses lighten up to a very light shade of gray. Both
gliders have non-tinted canopies.

My glasses have no tint at all indoors, and turn a very comfortable
gray (almost too dark if outside temp is below freezing) when out in
the sun. But in the cockpit, they tend to lighten up enough to be
annoying for anything more than a hour or so of continuous flying.

So... what experience do others have with these types of lenses?

-Tom

I love mine. I didn't plan it this way but shortly after I got my
'auto tint' glasses I purchased a sailplane with a tinted canopy. So I
get sunglasses walking around and fly under a tinted canopy w/clear
glasses. Works for me.
5Z wrote:
In another thread, some folks mention flying with these "light
sensitive" glasses.

I have a pair, but find I must use clip-ons while driving, as the
glasses apparently react to UV, and the car's windows filter most of
it. I have also found that same effect, though a bit milder in the
sailplane. In my onwn plane I wear sunglasses that fit over my RX
ones. Just got a pair of Bolle (Vigilante) glasses that accept a
prescription insert, and have interchangeable lenses, but they fit
reasonably well over my current glasses, so the insert will be a new
year's present to myself.

When hanging around the airport and taking an occasional hop in the
club 2-seater, I just use my regular glasses, and in both the L-23 and
ASK-21 my glasses lighten up to a very light shade of gray. Both
gliders have non-tinted canopies.

My glasses have no tint at all indoors, and turn a very comfortable
gray (almost too dark if outside temp is below freezing) when out in
the sun. But in the cockpit, they tend to lighten up enough to be
annoying for anything more than a hour or so of continuous flying.

So... what experience do others have with these types of lenses?

-Tom

5Z wrote:

So... what experience do others have with these types of lenses?

-Tom

Mine are acceptable under non-tinted canopy. Have flown 8 hours, the
spine is a problem before the eyes (maybe that gets fixed soon).
Photogray lenses are no problem at all under a tinted canopy.
I noticed in the other thread, the brand Suntiger came up a lot. The
two pairs I tried (polarized and not) drove me nuts in the 80s.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
Jim

5Z wrote:
In another thread, some folks mention flying with these "light
sensitive" glasses.
So... what experience do others have with these types of lenses?

-Tom

I have used glass ones and, more recently, the plastic ones. They all
suffer from the same problem in that they are very temperature
sensitive. Mine go black on a cold ski slope but hardly darken at all
in Arizona summer temperatures.

I tolerate them so I don't have to keep changing glasses but use the
Sun Tigers for soaring.


Andy

JS wrote:
5Z wrote:

So... what experience do others have with these types of lenses?

-Tom

Mine are acceptable under non-tinted canopy. Have flown 8 hours, the
spine is a problem before the eyes (maybe that gets fixed soon).
Photogray lenses are no problem at all under a tinted canopy.

Do they darken more or less under a tinted canopy, compared to a
non-tinted canopy?

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA

www.motorglider.org - Download "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane
Operation"

Eric Greenwell wrote:

Do they darken more or less under a tinted canopy, compared to a
non-tinted canopy?

Probably the same, but flying with a tinted canopy is generally more
pleasant.
(Except perhaps the day it got really dark and poured with rain on a
ridge flight.)
Jim