The Attractive, Stylish Designs Available for Sky Sunglasses
There’s no doubt that being a pilot is one of the most exciting and coolest jobs around, as you get to travel the globe, as well as taking in some of the world's most interesting cities, cultures and customs. Just like with any profession though, there are some everyday occupational hazards and in this case, one of them is eye damage from the sun.
The good news is that it’s easily overcome with some good quality sky sunglasses.
In this blog, we’ll be going through the full variety of attractive styles that are available. Eye-protection is vital, but you’ve got to look good too, right? Before we do that though, let’s take a look at this particular occupational hazard in closer detail to highlight the unique needs pilots have when it comes to eyewear.
A Singularly Unique Line of Work
The reason why specialist eye protection is required by airline pilots is because the light conditions experienced as part of their unique line of work can be extremely harsh. Flying over the clouds, the UV rays and strength of sunlight is such that specialist eyewear is needed and it’s not all about blocking out the sun.
Sky sunglasses are designed to meet the important need pilots have to see their instrument panel clearly. Though a standard pair of sunglasses would shield your eyes and protect you from UV rays, polarization can distort the instrument panel and the windscreen. In addition, their excessive tinting would make it almost impossible to see fine detail—hence the need for something specially tailored to pilots’ needs.
The importance of adequate protection in these kinds of light conditions is paramount, because the requirement for eye comfort is high, and also because long-term exposure can lead to serious eye problems like cataracts, macular degeneration and photo keratitis.
Method Seven VLT Options For Sky Sunglasses
Before we get into the styles available, we’ll first look at the different visible light transmission (VLT) options available for Method Seven pilot sunglasses. The VLT rating is something that determines how much visible light makes it through the lens.
- 24-30% (Lightest) Some cockpits are darker than others and some pilots need more light, so our FLT24 and SKY30 lenses are the lightest tinted sky sunglasses available, offering between 24-30% of visible light transmission. These particular lenses are light enough to be kept on all day for maximum convenience.
- 18% (Medium) For mixed light conditions, we have the next step down in VLT, with our FLT18 and SKY18 lenses allowing 18% of VLT
- 9% (Darkest) The darkest of our pilot sunglasses, our SKY9 lenses are designed for use in very exposed cockpits.
Even the darkest of the Method Seven Sky sunglasses will still provide supreme clarity, allowing you to see your instrument panel in super-sharp detail, regardless of the prevailing light conditions.
Now, let’s look at the available styles.
The Patriot Series
Specially created for the Patriots Jet Team, our aptly-named Patriot series of sky sunglasses have a wrap-around design that offers superlative peripheral vision. Hand-tooled, created from super-tough titanium alloy and paying homage to the classic aviator look, Patriot sunglasses offer complete protection, as well as supreme contrast, color and clarity.
This Patriot series is lightweight, flexible and strong, in addition to being flight helmet-compatible and able to conform seamlessly to the contours of your face. It’s an excellent choice for high-action pilots and one of our most popular stealth performance frames.
The Altitude Series
The next of the Method Seven sky sunglasses styles is the Altitude series that features a state-of-the-art combination of a titanium alloy wrap-around frame and injected plastics and are specifically designed to be worn with headsets. In terms of visual performance there is no better choice, with the mineral glass lenses they contain representing the absolute pinnacle of clarity and contrast.
What makes this possible? Well, the lenses are created from high-grade German glass that contain rare-earth neodymium bonded within its crystalline lens. They come in a range of 13 proprietary coatings that are able to block out all UV rays and infrared heat, while simultaneously offering crystal clear vision and color perception.
The Ascent Series
Next we have the Method Seven Ascent Series of sky sunglasses that pays tribute to the classic aviator style, while at the same time featuring a super-modern titanium alloy frame. Again, designed perfectly for use with pilot headsets and flight helmets, they even have rubberized nose pads for extra comfort when in the cockpit for long hours.
These highly flexible, strong, yet light frames have titanium alloy temple pieces that taper down to a thickness of less than 1 mm. As always with our sky eyewear, the Ascent series features the same cutting-edge lens technology for exceptional clarity and eye comfort.
The Aviatrix Series
The last of our sky sunglasses designs is the Aviatrix series, which are created with Japanese titanium and are designed to meet the needs of female pilots. Featuring tangle-free nose pads, these pilot sunglasses offer a classically stylish look, plus they’re super-comfortable, even when worn with flight helmets and noise-cancelling headsets.
A matte gold finish adds to their unmistakable allure, and the nose pads provide a customized fit by conforming to the shape of your face for all day comfort. They’re simply the best aviator glasses on the market for women pilots!
Protection, Comfort & Style!
The most important thing here is the eye protection and clarity that Method Seven sky sunglasses offer, however, they also make you look great at the same time! With choices available for all kinds of users from acrobatic flyers to commercial airline pilots, there’s absolutely no reason why you should have to suffer with poor visibility, discomfort, or inadequate protection.
If you would like to learn more about the industry-leading eyewear products we offer for pilots around the world, simply head over to the Method Seven shop where you’ll find everything you need to know.
