"Best" IFR View Limiting Device

I trained with the Francis hood which is very view limiting, uncomfortable and requires a lot go head movement. I now use the Jepp Shades. Comfortable and good under a headset. The flip up feature is good too.
 
I like the Francis hood. Though it will dig into your nose after a while and it’s not comfortable. I’m tall so I find that most of the hoods left me a wide area around the side to catch a peripheral view outside. I started taking an old sectional and blocking the bottom of the windshield to help with that.
 
So I figure I will add to this thread since I am currently doing my IR. I tried the “Best Hood” and honestly hated it. It was flimsy and did not work well when I had the air vents open in the Cherokee (which I always do). I used Jepp Shades, typical foggles, and the ASA hood during my PPL training. They were all pretty “meh” in my opinion.

After doing some more research I bought Vibans (yes they are a bit pricey) and they are phenomenal. I wouldn’t think twice about buying anything else. I wore them on a long 5 hour IFR cross country this past weekend and they are so comfortable and really do a great job of “simulated” IFR.
 
I always thought the Doolittle hood was the best IFR view limiting device....

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I have had two students use the Francis hood, but modified. I find that the outside view is blocked very well. However, much of the inside view is blocked too, by the eye hole shape. It's unrealistic and you have to move you head around, especially when looking "down" at something in your lap. You can't do it just by moving your eyes. So I had them modify the hood by cutting out larger eye holes - mostly extending the holes downward. A dremel tool with the rotary sander would work well for this. It creates a much better view. Still not that comfy though, but that depends a lot on the shape of your head and your nose.
 
Kritchlow said:
Apparantly there is a plethora of devices today. Back when I got my rating there was a "hood", and foggles were just coming onto the market.

Still, nothing beats an actual cloud or level D sim.
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Not to nit pick, but you don’t need a level D sim. The older level B sims were great for IFR. They sucked for visual transitions and that’s why I had to still go do takeoffs and landings in the DC-8 and DC-10.

An additional good substitute is doing your IFR training at night with a loose fitting hood. A peek won’t help in most cases. As for flying in actual, seek it out. When I was instructing, I told my students to call if it was IMC. We could make it work, last minute as I would have to reschedule my VFR students and renters would cancel as well.
 
jonnyjetprop said:
An additional good substitute is doing your IFR training at night with a loose fitting hood. A peek won’t help in most cases. As for flying in actual, seek it out. When I was instructing, I told my students to call if it was IMC. We could make it work, last minute as I would have to reschedule my VFR students and renters would cancel as well.
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Absolutely, night under the hood is WAY better. One thing, the hood can never block are the shadows and the way the sunlight hits the panel. If you see the shadows or the sunlight move across the panel even if you can't see the ground, your eyes are giving you a visual cue of movement and so SD never really sets in. At night, it's a whole different story especially if you're flying over an unlit area.

FWIW, I used the Best Hood. Love that it folds up and provides total coverage of my peripheral vision. The only thing I don't like is it's a little awkward transitioning from under the hood to landing.
 
Maybe I'm a masochist, but I actually liked my Francis hood. Never felt it was too uncomfortable, and it did a great job of blocking out the peripherals. I usually wear a ball cap flying, so I'd just flip it around and have the band over the cap. Not a big fan of traditional foggles myself.
 
Seriously...just buy Vibans...they blow everything else out of the water
 
This may be heresy to some, but...except for a flight test, I've found the easiest, least intrusive and quite effective is just a long-billed ball cap and focus on the panel.
 
I just bought one of those flighthoody things. I'll give a pirep when it arrives.
 
Haven't started my official IFR training but I used the Foggles in my PPL training for the instrument portion and hated them. I felt like I had to strain my eyes to see the panel and it caused fatigue. Has anyone else experienced that same issue?
 
Ronnie Godfrey said:
Haven't started my official IFR training but I used the Foggles in my PPL training for the instrument portion and hated them. I felt like I had to strain my eyes to see the panel and it caused fatigue. Has anyone else experienced that same issue?
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Yes. Buy Vibans and be happy. I should really be salesman for them.
 
Ronnie Godfrey said:
Haven't started my official IFR training but I used the Foggles in my PPL training for the instrument portion and hated them. I felt like I had to strain my eyes to see the panel and it caused fatigue. Has anyone else experienced that same issue?
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Yes. And the clear foggles always caused momentary dazzling blindness when direct sun would catch the fogged part.

Like CC268, I prefer something blacked out. Often I can be seen wearing the Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatics
 
jonnyjetprop said:
Not to nit pick, but you don’t need a level D sim. The older level B sims were great for IFR. They sucked for visual transitions and that’s why I had to still go do takeoffs and landings in the DC-8 and DC-10.

An additional good substitute is doing your IFR training at night with a loose fitting hood. A peek won’t help in most cases. As for flying in actual, seek it out. When I was instructing, I told my students to call if it was IMC. We could make it work, last minute as I would have to reschedule my VFR students and renters would cancel as well.
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Not nit picking but obviously those level B’s weren’t quite good enough to do the *entire* job.
 
I use the dog cone thing. It works the best with my glasses and blocks the sides well without taking away looking down at something in your lap or just moving your eyes like you do in actual. Looks stupid as heck, but effective.
 
RussR said:
I have had two students use the Francis hood, but modified. I find that the outside view is blocked very well. However, much of the inside view is blocked too, by the eye hole shape. It's unrealistic and you have to move you head around, especially when looking "down" at something in your lap. You can't do it just by moving your eyes. So I had them modify the hood by cutting out larger eye holes - mostly extending the holes downward. A dremel tool with the rotary sander would work well for this. It creates a much better view. Still not that comfy though, but that depends a lot on the shape of your head and your nose.
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Yes, this is the main problem with the Francis hood - if you're flying a plane with nothing but a six pack, perhaps not a problem, but a more advanced panel with an IFR GPS and maybe a MFD can be significantly vertigo-inducing under the Francis because of all the head movements you need to do to keep everything within your scan. Not to mention if you have an engine monitor... :yikes:

Otherwise, the Francis is definitely the best hood I've ever used for training... but the disadvantages are real and need to be kept in mind too. Modifying the hood sounds like a good idea - I only ever used my CFI's, so that was never an option.
 
bkspero said:
If you wear eyeglasses, then take a look at Overcasters: http://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilot...mZgsCEIfdOBRwvDCVXpIOQO3BpWdPdXk3YaAhaj8P8HAQ

They clip on your glasses instead of having a strap that must be positioned under your headset (so you either have to wear the hood starting on the ground or remove your headset and put the hood on in the air). They flip up so you can fly normally while wearing them, and flip down for simulated IMC flight. They are the lightest weight ones I have ever worn.
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How do they work with a ball cap?
 
Rcmutz said:
How do they work with a ball cap?
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I have no experience with them and a baseball cap as I take off my hat when flying. Suspect it would depend upon the curvature of the brim. I have a couple with tight curves that would interfere with flipping up the hood. On the other hand if you wear the brim flat...

hwl


then I think it would be fine.
 
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