Thanks for all the initial comments everyone! Some of you may have never run into issues with this before, but all displays and glasses are different. I, for one, could not see my engine monitor or my second Nav/Com in broad daylight unless I tilted my head the opposite direction, and this is just one of the many negative encounters I've had with polarization - I've had issues with displays and glass in many aircraft before, and even requiring a slight head tilt to clear up the display is a distraction I don't need on any flight deck. I hope this video helps!
@aviation101 I had trouble with polarized sunglasses with avidyne and had to have separate sunglasses when I flew. But when I switched to an airplane with a G1000 I never had it happen to me again for some reason and it was the same sunglasses??
Josh - I’ve flown for over 45 years, and I’ve known that flying with polarized lenses was a no no, but until today I didn’t know why! Thanks for the explanation and the facts. I for one would welcome similar videos.
@@Trondiver427 If the ray bans are truly polarized and they're fine looking at the G1000, then the linear blocking is running the same way on both the sunglasseS and the G1000. I'd be curious if it goes dark if you rotate the glasses 90 degrees. If it doesn't, then either the G1000 or the Ray Bans are not actually polarized. But for me, I absolutely love my Flying Eyes and know that whatever plane I go into, I'm not going to have issues.
Funny how only the people advocating the non-polarized Flying Eyes get a like from Josh! I enjoy the channel, watch almost every vid, and have no problems with the in-video plugs, but this is a bit of a let-down tbh...
Hey everyone. Some good info on polorization. Had to change my glasses when the glass cockpits started coming out about 10 years back. Glad to see it wasn't just my eyes playing games on me. Thanks for the video!
It's a real thing. I stopped wearing polarized lenses years ago specifically because of that issue. It took me forever to find a model of glasses that work for me. If you have problems finding a pair of shades that are just right, consider looking at shaded safety glasses. Most industrial stores carry a huge selection of styles and lens colors. That's what I had to do to find a pair that was just right for me.
I figured this out several years ago with a pair of clip on sunglasses, when looking at my cell the screen was a blank white. That said, engineers have also utilized this effect for increased security at banks, medical facilities etc where SPI sensitive personal information might be on a computer display, but they don't want anyone else to peek over a shoulder, so they will use a drop-down visor to prevent screen peeking, or even remove the embedded polarization filter from the LCD screen, which makes the display appear to be blank white, but the user of the work station has a polarized shades on allowing him to see the display.
Yup! I'm a pretty hardcore fisherman and realized this summer my fishing glasses were terrible for flying! I now have decent aviators and won't look back
I remember seeing Captain Joe's thing about this a long time ago. Then later when I rode shotgun in a Piper Navajo (with screen displays) I tried bringing by polarized shades. Sure enough, the light was distorted, and a slight tilt of the head rendered the screen "black". I made a mental note not to bring them again if I go flying shotgun (which people sometimes let me do).
I love my FlyingEyes Kingfisher glasses. I can’t stress enough how comfortable they are and they do not break the seal of my Lightspeed headset. Oh, and they look great too....
Great aviation education topic. I have been aware of the problem of polarized glasses blocking view of digital instruments for a long time, so have avoided wearing my polarized fishing glasses in the cockpit. But on a return flight from a fishing trip a couple of years ago I had a pair of sunglasses I use for driving on, and I didn’t realize they were polarized. As is my usual habit, I did my preflight, startup, and run-up without sunglasses, and only put them on as I was rolling onto the runway. I put in full takeoff power, started accelerating, and looked down to check my MP and was shocked to see my JPI instruments monitor was completely blank! I immediately aborted my takeoff, called the tower to let them know I had a major instrument malfunction, and taxied off the runway. After I’d done so, I removed my sunglasses to do a full instrument check, and wonder of wonders, my JPI was working fine. The cause of the problem dawned on me, and when I put the sunglasses back on sure enough my JPI was blank again. Needless to say, this was embarrassing for me and quite disconcerting to my passengers. I have since then changed my run up checklist to include “CHECK SUNGLASSES” to make sure this never happens to me again.
Thanks Josh. I’ve been flying without polarized sunglasses for years now. However, because I can’t wear contacts, I have to get prescription sunglasses. Because the non-polarized coating they use on sunglasses is not very robust, I have to replace them almost every year at a cost of around $800 a pair. Please pass this along to Flying Eyes. I need a pair of quality prescription sunglasses - oh and I’d like to use my vision insurance to pay for them. Thanks
Man the sunglasses business is a real scam (it's a monopoly, one company actually owns all the brands). I suggest going to your optician, get a prescription and buy your glasses online. You can either use the lab from the optician or also have that done through mail-order based on the prescription they give you.
We are proud to be an independent company not owned by a large conglomerate. All of our frames are prescription compatible, and we would recommend finding a different optician if the lenses they're making for you need to be replaced that often. It's concerning to hear you're experiencing that issue!
Hi Josh, one topic I would love for you to do is how a newly private pilot can use Foreflight for VFR flights (for typical $100 burgers and short to medium XC flights) Thank you!!
Disagree, I’ve flown nearly 500 hours with my Costa Del Mar sunglasses and haven’t had a problem with any screens, G5s, G530s, G1000s, Aspens, you name it. The issue comes around when you get to bigger equipment with heated windows, they show up rainbow. I wore polarized Oakleys in the KC-10 and had to buy another pair of nonpolarized.
All the times I've worn polarized glasses with glass displays, I've had some sort of parallax or distortion issue. Results will vary based on what market the glasses were originally designed to target, which varies how the polarization was applied.
Spot on, I wear a pair of Costas with glass green lenses and I have never had an issue. G5, 430 and 355 no issue at all. I can see traffic better. I have .... long time ago, dropped Costas in the drink .... use some cheap polarized glasses and they where horrible. I have only ever had one issue, back window in a car got replaced and with glasses it looked like it had rainbow spots all over it. Went back to glass company and had them replace window with factory glass and all was solved. Glass guy told me it was cheap aftermarket glass. Sometimes you really pay for what you get, and quality polarized sunglasses are one of those times.
Well that explained why i have difficulty seeing the displays in my yukon when driving. I wear prescription glassescwith clipon sunshades that are polarized. When i look down at my dash in the daylight i have to remove the clipons to see the gauges.thanks for clearing that up lol
Never had a problem with my G-15 tinted / polarized / glass (non-plastic) flying glasses.... Wonder if more than 28 years since last PIC time might come into play ;) Oh... Steam Gauges forever.... None of that "new fangled" stuff... (grin) Another issue with polarized lenses are their ability to see any mechanical stress in clear plastics and in glass.
Probably about the only advantage of renting trashed planes with six packs and Garmin 430s; noticed no rainbows on the old 172s and PA28s (did on my motorcycle helmet). Doing all my flying without polarized now.
Good video, though strangely enough I wear Oakley Square Wire's that ARE polarized and have no issues reading my iPad, iPhone, Aspen 1000 pro, Garmin 750, or the JPI-930.
Been flying glass for years with polarized Oakley prescription glasses. No issues, but then again I don't rotate my head 90 degrees. I have a heated windshield and do notice the grid SLIGHTLY vs. non-polarized.
That is SO ACCURATE, it was a topic I knew before, but never went to deep on it, unfortunatelly I got my polarized glasses before even get to know about this topic, Im getting my new pair of non polarized glasses for flying.
I purchased a nice pair of Polarized glasses to ride my 2015 Honda Goldwing with and took them off after only 5 kilometres because of the rainbow effect it put on my windscreen I couldn’t see the road ahead properly.. Mite purchase some flying eyes and give them a try 👍
After talking with a Panasonic rep about their tough book computers I realized they can make the displays visible regardless of polarization direction in sunglasses. He said they do this for cops using the computer in squad cars. I don’t know why they haven’t changed the displays on avionics yet.
Every day is a school day! Back in the day, there were driving glasses that helped see through fog - I can't recall what type of lenses they were, but they were excellent. I have standard RB Aviators and prescription Aviators, when flying with friends, I've not noticed any issues, but their aircraft are all very analogue. Things move on though - thanks for a useful video.
You can't use polorized because from certain angles the LCD screen will appear darker than normal. In fact you should not have ANY sunglasses with more that 50% tint in them...green is best.
Your tests were interesting. It seems as if manufacturers have wisely taken to considering polarized lenses into account when they make their screens. Glasses lenses are usually polarized vertically, to block out horizontal reflected glare, such as one gets from a car hood or water. LCD screens used to be mainly be polarized horizontally, which is why polarized glassed would blank out the screen. Perhaps LCD makers have adjusted and are now polarizing their screens vertically.
stay happy you say... Soo I need to fly that airplane some more. Come to think of it. That´s my primary stress relieve since I got my license about a year ago now (december 27th to be precise) :P But I live in Sweden, so getting VFR flight hours at this time of year is like winning the lottery
Polarization great for skiing, fishing, and driving. Agree completely with flying without, I rely on my glass instruments. Ipads are not heavily polarized so you can see them, unless you add a “glare” screen. If you are a pilot don’t add a glare screen, get a good case.
FYI: For some reason, I have discovered that I'm not getting any notifications of new videos from ANY of the channels I am subscribed to. I have not been receiving any notifications since around November 1st. Don't know what's going on.
Do you have a prescription for your glasses? I know you can get prescription glasses from Flying Eyes, but I was curious what your experience was doing that.
Dean's analogy of the comb is excellent. If you take one lens out of a set of glasses and turn it at a 90 degree angle to the other lens, no light will come through. It's being "combed" both vertically and horizontally.
I Occasionally use polarized because they fit me better than my non-polarized but I’ve never had a problem with my G3X touchscreen or the PFD in the 737. The only issues I’ve had os looking through the heated windshield in the 737. It’s like an oil slick and sucks.
Josh, have you seen (or can you ask FlyinEyes) if there is such a thing as sunglasses that are polarized on the top half of the lens, for looking outside the airplane or car, and non-polarized on the bottom half for looking inside. Thanks. Love the channel.
I would appreciate any information regarding good quality non polarized sunglasses that would fit over my corrective lenses. They are difficult to find, and having a pair of prescription sunglasses is often not practical.
Just did a test on My Spy Frazier with Happy lens. No issues on my ipad or gtn650, but on my iphone xr it does it. I think the important point is it CAN happen but it is not an absolute. Do the test and figure out what works for you.
How about a short video on radio communication during a XC over a deserted area for hours at a time? What to listen for, knowing who to talk to depending on the situation and where you're at? VFR conditions.
Liked the video, thx.. maybe do a lesson planning of a flight, on ForeFlight using the ipad, its always fun to see what differences each pilot does for this.
Polarized lens affect all transportation with digital screens. Bikes, cars, trucks, boats and planes especially. I use my transition lensed glasses in all situations without issue.
I’ve worn polarized because I’m in an old 172, but when I upgrade I’ll have to get a new pair. Any recommendations for good non polarized glasses that aren’t $200?
The next time you do a upgrade to your instruments can you take us from the point where you decided you needed an upgrade through your reasoning, discussion with the mechanics, etc. and the various options you had, including why you may have elected to take one product over the other particularly if the reason is that one of the products just wouldn't fit the panel or work with the other features of the airplane.
I fly with a pair of Costa de mars all the time use G5 and 430 & 355. Never had the issue you are talking about. I think there are poor quality polarized glasses and then there are high quality polarized glasses. The fact that one lens looks different then the other tells me you might be using poor quality polarized lenses. Another note my Costas are glass lenses and not plastic.
These were Oakley, which are high-end. The fact that one eyes absorbs the light differently than the other is a function of parallax, not poor lenses. I also don't think glass vs. other materials makes much of a difference - it lies in how the material is shaded (polarized, in this case). The varied results come from varied methods of polarization, which is a result of what market the glasses were originally designed to target.
The glass may not matter, I just know I wear them all the time when I fly and I have none of the issues you described. I do know Costas makes the best polarized glasses on the market. You should run a test with them and see your results. I’m not saying the flying eyes glasses are bad here .... just saying that a good quality pair of polarized glasses are not bad for flying.
@@Aviation101 oh and yea Oakley makes a good pair of glasses just not polarized glasses so it seems... lol .... the next best polarized glasses out there are Serengeti after Costa.
Waiting for my “Sponsorship” to get a pair - HA! Seriously though, y’all did contact me after my last comment to Josh and I’ll get a pair before too long . . .
I literally bought the exact same flying eyes and love them. They truly do help reduce the noise coming in my ears which is a godsend for me with sensitive ears!! I wear Bose A20s and I still would hear the drone of the engine. They are a bit over priced imo but for now they are a great fit for flying. IMO they need to be around 80 to 100 bucks but I do understand they are the new hot cool pilot glasses. I expect many companies will be trying to copy them soon enough!
Engineering and innovation (something most Luxottica-owned eyewear companies don’t do) isn’t cheap. Plus made in the USA. All of that makes it so worth it to me! I’m glad you like them!
@@johnopalko5223 A guy was selling them at Atlanta Motor Speedway years ago. His name was Tim Smith out of Mt. Juliet, Tennesse. If he is still in business his email is tack5@Comcast.net. Try that and see if it works. Let me know, thanks.
Great video! I love how well you cover all of the different effects of polarization, this especially includes the rainbow colors from viewing certain polarized window glass :-D. I've found that you can also observe this at an LCD gas pump while wearing polarized sunglasses, I thought I was going crazy the first time this happened to me years ago haha:-). Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this video Josh. Was wondering about what sunglasses are you using. I fly a C172 with the aspen evolution. Now I know why I couldn't see the colors right on the display. I'm gonna get myself a pair of these. Thanks!
Yep - polarized sunglasses suck for motorcycle riding too unless you want to see shimmering rainbows in your helmet’s face shield, and maybe a black instrument display and/or GPS...
Off-topic a little bit, could you make a video about ways to extend the life of an aircraft engine, like leaning? Ways to prevent an engine failure? Maybe explain the difference between Lean of peak/rich of peak, the recommended way to set the mixture during cruise (I know it's different for every airplane), something along those lines? I'm trying to better educate myself about this topic when I start training.
My only issue with not flying with polarized glasses is when float flying. I like them specifically for that mission. They break the glare on the water and allow you to see obstacles and hazards that you might not otherwise see with conventional lenses due to glare. I agree with everything else in this video though. I only wear polarized lenses when flying off the water.
Forget the modern avionics, I've had students before where they simply did not see an airplane that I saw clear as day with an extremely bright reflection off their aircraft. The safety benefits of seeing aircraft are clear to me.
@@Aviation101 exactly, I have issues from my ray bans, coincidentally the ones shown on my profile pic, I think the pros and cons for polarised shades when driving outweigh the -ves and obviously the opposite for flying as you have explained!
When this video premiered, I appreciated the treatment of polarization because I have a Samsung Active 3 tablet as my EFB, but thought that FlyingEyes weren't terribly useful to me because I need prescription lenses, and getting FlyingEyes with prescription lenses looked like a huge hassle. My current prescription suns are of course polarized, which hadn't been an issue when I bought them a dozen years ago; the only screen then in our flying club Cardinal was a non-WAAS GNS 430. Well, I finally began to notice that my 12-year-old progressive bifocal prescription wasn't working for me anymore for distant vision. I got a new prescription, and checked the FlyingEyes site again. They now will ship you frames with clear plastic lenses, you have somebody mark your pupil distances directly on the lens, then you ship the frames back to FlyingEyes for them to install prescription lenses. Takes a few weeks but I think it's going to be worth it. This fall we're getting a little more glass in the panel; adding dual GI 275s and a GFC 500 to our existing GTN 750, so I'm looking forward to having a pair of prescription Golden Eagle Sport in the cockpit. Good sponsor, Josh.
