

As a result, the lens carried an "AN" (Army/Navy) specification number: the AN6531. The lenses were made to a joint standard shared by the U.S. They were produced in huge quantities (several million pieces) for pilots and sailors. The military "flying sun glasses (comfort cable)" were standardized in November 1941. In the second half of the 1930s and early 1940s, a group of American firms continued developing sunglasses. AN6531 military sunglasses ĪN6531 sunglasses with Type 1 AN6531 lenses made by American Optical The D-1 sunglasses were superseded by the more comfortable AN6531 flying sun glasses (comfort cable) in November 1941. The D-1 flying goggle assembly was standardized on 13 August 1935, and was actually a pair of sun glasses with a rigid frame and plastic insulated arms. They have a conspicuous USAC engraving on the hinged bridge. Army Air Corps D-1 Sunglasses made by American Optical. The first aviator style sunglasses contracted by the US military in 1935 were the U.S. The UK Civil Aviation Authority has also provided guidance on the use of sunglasses by pilots. Polarized and photochromic lenses are not recommended for use by pilots. The design attempts to cover the entire field of vision of the human eye and significantly reduce the amount of transmitted visible light and (near) infrared radiation and prevent (erythemal) ultraviolet radiation from entering the eye from any angle.įor selecting sunglasses, the United States Federal Aviation Administration has published an aeromedical safety brochure for general aviation pilots, commercial pilots and physicians. The large lenses are not flat but slightly convex. The original Bausch & Lomb design is now commercially marketed as Ray-Ban Aviators, although other manufacturers also produce aviator-style sunglasses.Īviator style sunglasses are intended to be worn under headgear and are characterised by dark, oftentimes reflective lenses and thin monel, steel or titanium metal frames with double or triple bridge and bayonet earpieces or flexible cable temples that hook more securely behind the ears.


Joe Biden during his vice presidency in Baghdad in 2016, sporting a pair of aviatorsĪviator sunglasses are a style of sunglasses that were developed by a group of American firms.
