r22magoo

[r22butters]

So I'm in the chopper last night, and I notice that this one doesn't have a seperate radio with the nice, big, bright numbers spread across the panel. No, it just has the radio that's built into the Garmen 430, so the numbers are tiny and way down in the corner!

Ok, so now I have to bend way down to reach the dial to change frequencies, then lift up my head, but move my eyes down so I can look through the bottom of my glasses (frickin' bifocals) just to read these damn tiny, little numbers!

I won't even get into how I read that tiny window on the altimeter.

I remember way back during my private training, one of my instructors was a retired LE pilot in his forties. One day talking to him, he pulled out his phone, then had to lift up his glasses to read it. I remember thinking, "damn that sucks!"

,...and now that's me!

[RisePilot]

At just over the 50 mark, I'm with you. Had to have custom varifocal lenses put in a pair of Revo sunglasses last year. After initially getting them with my prescription (not inexpensive), I noticed I couldn't read a damn thing on my GPS after the first take-off wearing them - so had to send them back to have the lenses replaced with varifocals.

 

For reference, I've found varifocals fine for flying.

[Wally]

It can be worse- you could be flying with an overhead console of switches, circuit breakers, etc. and require an upper 'reading' scrip included in your corrective lenses.

 

I agree that "Progressive" lenses allow a little correction at varying distances by moving your head. I could focus, clearly, on itty bitty numbers at the far corner of the panel the the reading and distant scrips wouldn't do.

 

Now that I'm no longer flying for a living, I can risk my eyesight to corrective surgery. As soon as I recover from tax season.

Edited April 22, 2018 by Wally

[Eric Hunt]

I had varifocals for flying the S76 - initially the clear lenses that go dark when in sunlight, thought they would save me from buying 2 pairs. But the lenses are activated by UV, which doesn't get through the aircraft windscreen, so...no dark glasses for outside.

 

Then bought a tinted pair of varifocals, which worked fine for the instrument panel - anywhere on the panel could be brought into focus by raising or lowering the head. Except for the overhead panels, which needed one hand to lift the glasses higher to get the correct part into use, and the other hand to manipulate the CB or switch or whatever I was looking for. Cyclic was either between my knees or being run by autopilot.

 

But then came the next problem - polarising lenses make it difficult to read the LCD screens of the instruments!

 

And the first time I wore the varifocals on the golf course (Yes! I will be able to see where the ball goes!) I totally missed hitting the ball.

[TailEndCharlie]

😄