A person wearing Method Seven Pilot Patriot FLT18 sunglasses for pilots.

PATRIOT SKY18

Pilot Sunglasses

$275.00

Description plus minus

The Patriot is Method Seven's newest stealth performance frame, designed specifically for The Patriots Jet Team. Titanium alloy construction features Japanese hand tooling and seamlessly conforms to your face. Lightweight, strong, and flexible, the Patriot is headset and flight helmet compatible, offering exceptional peripheral vision in a sleek wraparound design. 

Lens Technology

Method Seven’s lens technology delivers cutting-edge non-polarized glare reduction, allowing for clear, unrestricted vision without the drawbacks of polarized lenses. Using advanced notch filtering technology, Method Seven sets a new standard for optical performance and protection. Notch filtering allows for enhanced color accuracy, contrast, and clarity, providing a sharp and vibrant visual experience. Method Seven lenses provide complete UV protection and are designed to maintain clarity without distorting electronic displays or aircraft windows.

SKY Lens Technology plus minus

SKY lenses are Method Seven’s flagship pilot lenses, crafted from premium German glass with advanced notch filtering. These lenses incorporate eleven rare earth elements, including neodymium, molecularly bonded within a crystalline structure. Thirteen proprietary coatings block harmful UV rays and infrared heat, ensuring unparalleled color and clarity. For top-notch performance, nothing beats mineral glass for clarity and scratch resistance, and SKY lenses excel in light filtering tailored specifically for pilots' needs.

Crafted with precision across the globe: cast in Germany, polished in Italy, chemically hardened in China, thin-film coated, and set in titanium frames in Japan. Then, shipped to California for quality control before arriving at your hangar. The most complex and unique lens, exclusively for the complex conditions experienced by pilots.

18% Visible Light Transmission plus minus

Method Seven’s FLT18 lenses feature a Visible Light Transmission (VLT) of 18%, meaning they allow 18% of light to pass through the lens. This makes them perfect for most sky conditions, from overcast to clear of clouds. This versatile VLT is ideal for a broad range of pilots and aircraft, providing excellent performance in various weather conditions. With a VLT similar to the level recommended by the FAA, these lenses ensure optimal light management without sacrificing clarity or color accuracy, offering pilots superior adaptability and reliable performance across diverse flying environments.

Frame Technology

Designed for flexibility, durability, and longevity, Method Seven Pilot eyewear won't break your headset seal, ensuring you never miss a radio call. Timeless style meets endless comfort, without interruption. Developed and tested with real pilots across various professional and general aviation aircraft and cockpit configurations.

The Patriot plus minus

Designed with direct input from the Patriots Jet Team, a civilian formation aerobatic team that includes former Blue Angel and Snowbird pilots, the Patriot was born. When flying L-39 jets in formation, the team needed lightweight eyewear that stays on under high G forces, fits under flight helmets, works with oxygen masks, and provides peripheral protection from light at all angles. Our solution: the Patriot, an aviator engineered for elite performance. Featuring strong, thin, flexible temples compatible with headsets and flight helmets, the Patriot is the pinnacle of aviation eyewear design.

Titanium Frame Technology plus minus

Our titanium frames are hand-tooled by expert craftsmen, ensuring durability for everyday use and flexibility to conform to your head's shape. Titanium is naturally hypoallergenic and resistant to corrosion, making these frames a great investment in essential flight gear that will last for years to come.

Method Seven Pilot

Method Seven scientifically develops eyewear in-house and rigorously tests it in the field. Our mission is to unlock the full potential of the greatest flight instrument of all: the human eye. We are committed to enhancing vision, providing unmatched clarity, and ensuring superior protection for all pilots.

Scott "Intake" Kartvedt

The helmet fits, you don't feel them, there's no hotspots. They're not polarized, so you can look inside and outside, even when we're flying into the sun they block out that glare. I have flown with all other brands of glasses in my 27 years as a Navy pilot, as a civilian aerobatic pilot, and as a commercial airline pilot, these are the best pair of glasses I have ever worn.

Scott Kartvedt is a professional pilot and President of the Blue Angel Foundation. He instructs and evaluates for United Airlines in Denver, Colorado, and is the number 5 pilot for the Patriot Jet Team. He also served as a stunt pilot in "Top Gun: Maverick" and was the aviation safety supervisor for "Mission Impossible 8."

Scott's career includes five combat tours, flying with the Blue Angels, and serving as the Navy’s first commanding officer of the only F-35C Stealth Strike Fighter Squadron. Inspired by "Top Gun," Scott pursued aviation after graduating from Pepperdine University, joining the naval aviator program and flying FA/18 Hornets.

Selected for the Blue Angels in 1999, he performed air shows for three seasons. He led VFA-83, earning multiple awards and flew 91 combat missions during five deployments, amassing over 6,300 flight hours and 658 carrier arrested landings.

Scott became an FA-18 instructor, participated in Iraq's "shock and awe" campaign in 2003, and served as Aide de Camp to the U.S. Northern and Pacific Commands. He commanded an FA-18 squadron with two tours in Afghanistan and later ran the Navy’s F-35 program, leading the first stealth fighter squadron. Though he retired in 2013, he joined the Patriots Jet Team, and continues his airshow and aviation career flying in major films.

Overall rating: 4.857143 / 5 from 28 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

The Patriot SKY18 pilot sunglasses offer precision optics with notch filtering technology for superior contrast and clarity. The lenses, featuring special thin-film coating, provide optimal visible light transmission for various light conditions. The titanium alloy frame is lightweight and compatible with headsets and flight helmets, ensuring comfort and exceptional peripheral vision.

Summary topics

  • Glass Quality: 25%
  • Lens Clarity: 21%

Review topics: [].

Review highlights

  • "First, I love blue lenses and there isn’t a huge selection out there."Westley E.
  • "I also appreciate the fact that the lenses are glass, there truly is no substitute."Westley E.
  • "Light weight and great lenses, would like to see them also made in SKY30 lenses!!"Wayne N.

Reviews

Great protection & great optics!

"I'm a runner and love these glasses!"

Dean K. (5/5)

"They have great visibility through the lenses. I did get glass lenses, they do weigh a bit more than poly lenses."

Max (5/5)

One of the Best Aviator Sunglasses Available

"Great aviator sunglasses. Use all the time. Bought several as gifts."

Donald P. (5/5)

Incredible Flight Optics

"No more lifting my sunglasses when trying to read screens inside the cockpit. I operate in the upper 300’s and even 400’s where eye protection from UV light is hypercritical. Of all the sunglasses I have used over the years they all had one thing in common. When I need to see details (small chart notes and the like) inside the cockpit I had to remove the sunglasses. With my MethodSeven, I get plenty of of dimming of the outside light in addition to the UV protection I need. And what is awesome now is I forget I have them on because I don’t have to lift them to see inside the cockpit. Thank you for these great lenses!"

Jeff H. (5/5)

Great sunglasses for the money.

"Great sunglasses for the money. Love how clear everything is and great in lower sunlight. I typically don’t like sunglasses unless it’s very bright. Recommended!!!"

Brian K. (5/5)

Best sunglasses I’ve ever bought

"The instant I put these on I knew I had made the right decision. My eyes relaxed immediately. The quality and clarity is superb."

Stephen B. (5/5)

Patriot Sky18

"Great sunglasses! They're light so you don't feel them pressing your head with headsets on. With the Sky18 there's no problem reading the instruments both analog and screen and they're dark enough to reduce the glare especially on top of an overcast layer. Overall well worth it!"

Jerb J. (5/5)

Light and comfortable

"Equally good for weather and avionics screens"

Luis S. (5/5)

Patriots Sunglasses are the Best

"These are by far my favorite sunglasses. So comfortable and the coverage is awesome. With these you don’t get light leaking in from the side as with other designs and styles. The optics are second to none and provide enhanced coloration and contrast. With other brands I consistently find myself taking off or putting my glasses on my head to get a rest from them. With these the opposite is true, with such a high degree of eye comfort and clarity. I wish the sky30 lenses would be introduced to the patriot line as I am looking for a lighter tinted pair to compliment these as I can’t wear the aviators due to my wider face. Can’t recommend enough."

Vincent L. (5/5)

Best Flying Sunglasses I’ve Purchased!

"These Patriot SKY18 sunglasses are by far the best aviation sunglasses I’ve ever purchased! They are lightweight, don’t press hard on my head under a headset, and the perfect tint for a jet cockpit. Not too dark, not too light. The ONLY issue I have had is that in certain light conditions my eyes seem to reflect into the lenses giving me a slightly skewed view of the instruments. It’s intermittent but I’ve never noticed this in Serengeti’s or Oakleys. Not sure why, but it really doesn’t diminish the positive view of these glasses. Highly recommended!"

Greg C. (5/5)

Q&A