Visor Use Among U.S. Army Rotary-Wing Aviators

Visors are optical devices that provide a level of comfort and protection from dust, wind, sun glare and particle fragments and, in the case of a crash, from tree branches, rocks, debris and aircraft structural parts. This report presents the results of a survey whose objective was to document visor usage, and identify problems associated with optical quality, and maintenance in Army rotary wing aviation. The survey was distributed to U.S. Army aviators and crewmen at Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The survey identified that guidelines for visor use need to be established. Minor problems with haze, distortion, luminous transmittance, and prismatic deviation were also identified. Other problems include' mechanical difficulties, e.g., visors sticking and coming off track, inadequate custom trimming for IHADSS visors, and ANVIS incompatibility. Data support that dual visor design results in higher percentage of visor use.Army Aeromedical Research Lab Fort Rucker Al is the author of 'Visor Use Among U.S. Army Rotary-Wing Aviators' with ISBN 9781423565277 and ISBN 1423565274.