Foggles DIY

(Do It Yourself)

This is one of those inventions that seems to be so obvious when you first hear about it! Foggles are really plain old Norton Safety Goggles that have been sand-blasted to obscure the pilot's vision except for a small portion on the lower portion of each lense. You can make them yourself. Go to your local safety supply store (or hardware store), buy a pair of Norton Safety Goggles for a couple of dollars, and paint over the lense, leaving a little bit unpainted at the bottom.

The problem with the sand-blasted goggles method is that they glow when you are flying into the sun. They're blinding! And, oh man, are they HOT when flying into the sun! After about 2 minutes, you find that they only work well when flying away from the sun. Hmmm. When you think about it, it's not such a good idea after all. If you can do your hood-work while northbound only, you can probably make the idea work. We've found that painting the obscured portion of the Norton goggles works much better than the sand-blasted finish of the Foggles idea since the painted surface doesn't glow when flying into the sun.

On the other hand, it might be a lot easier to look at the Jeppesen and ASA types than to spend a whole weekend modifying a pair of $5 Norton googles!