Scheyden Sunglasses

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Mac McClellan took a pair of Scheyden's most popular aviation sunglasses, the Sonoma, out for a test ride in his Baron. The optics were great: the hand-ground and polished lenses made for distortion-free vision when looking through the windshield. The standard neutral gray lenses did not change the colors of the instruments, which is key since the FAA doesn't allow pilots to wear polarized sunglasses in the cockpit. Mac would have preferred a larger frame and, on his next ride, would opt for the El Capitan version since it has a bigger, wider frame. The Sonoma lens was too small to completely block out sun glare. The lightweight titanium frames have enough flexibility that they don't get bent out of shape with daily wear. Magnets mounted on either side of the frame hold the lenses in place on your face. The flip-up option helped in the cockpit when the shaded glareshield made viewing less than ideal. Flipping the lenses up to review charts or scan the horizon saved Mac time and any hassle of dropping or misplacing them. The frames are thin enough to wear simultaneously with headphones without added pressure on the temples. All styles are shipped in a cloth bag and enclosed in a hard rosewood case. If pilots produce their license when ordering, they get a discount of $100 off the retail price of $400; shipping is $8. For more information, call West Coast Trends, Inc. 714/843-1975; or visit www.scheyden.com.