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Are there aerobatic maneuvers which I should never attempt if I wear glasses? Or, is there a specific G-loading which is not recommended for pilots who wear glasses?

I'm not into competitive aerobatics. I will not pull 6~7Gs or perform violent maneuvers like snap turns. However I do like to flip the world around just for the fun of it.

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  • $\begingroup$ What sort of airplane are you flying? $\endgroup$
    – 60levelchange
    Aug 27, 2016 at 18:29
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    $\begingroup$ ones where your glasses won't fall off $\endgroup$
    – rbp
    Aug 27, 2016 at 18:33
  • $\begingroup$ @J.Hougaard single-engine propeller monoplanes. Biplanes have too much rolling power (and obstruct my purpose of viewing the scenery upside-down). $\endgroup$
    – kevin
    Aug 27, 2016 at 18:40
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    $\begingroup$ Get glasses that won't fall off. You can get a strap that will attach to the glasses and go around your head keep them in place. $\endgroup$
    – ratchet freak
    Aug 27, 2016 at 19:11
  • $\begingroup$ @rbp you hit the nail on the head in my opinion. That's the problem with this question. This is nearly 100% opinion-based both as a question on stack exchange and as a pilot making decisions as the PIC. Don't do it if you don't think you can do it safely. $\endgroup$
    – Ryan Mortensen
    Aug 27, 2016 at 20:43

2 Answers 2

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If you're talking about what they call Gentleman's aerobatics - that is only controlled positive G maneuvers like aileron rolls, barrel rolls, Immelmanns, inside loops, split-S, Cuban Eights, etc. there shouldn't be a problem here as the loading will hold your glasses on your face. For additional support you might consider a blackstrap for your eyewear, similar to what basketball players wear.

More extreme aerobatics involving negative G flight, tumbling, gyroscopic maneuvers, etc would not be recommended using free fitting corrective eyewear as they will probably come lose and can become a FOD hazard in the cockpit, in addition to losing your myopia correction. Goggles with corrective lenses would be recommended here as well as contact lenses.

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Depending on what type of headset you wear, you may not need to worry. I wear a set of David Clark H10-13.4's, which have quite a bit of lateral clamping force on the sides of the head (unlike, for example, the Bose A20 and clones, which rest mostly on top of the head and have much less inward force around the ears). I found that I was able to comfortably do all the basic maneuvers (loops, rolls, spins, hammerheads) as well as sustained inverted, negative 1G flight, without ever feeling like my glasses were in danger of leaving my face.

Without knowing more about your headset and the type of maneuvers you were doing (Mine were nowhere near what you'd call extreme) I can't be more specific, but you might be good to go just as you are.

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