Aviator sunglasses - the original pilot sunglasses

What are Aviator Sunglasses?

Think about the iconic 80s movie “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer. What do you remember most about it? Perhaps you remember the planes, or the flying, which we admit was really quite spectacular. Perhaps it was the fact that it…well…starred Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, which may have been important. Maybe it was the performance of Kelly McGillis or the famous song “Take my Breath Away” by the group Berlin. Well, we remember “Top Gun” most of all for the cool sunglasses that the pilots wore. Pilots all over the world need to wear good sunglasses, after all they often had to face the sun above the clouds and glare off all sorts of things such as other airplanes. These sunglasses need to have special properties and are made by a variety of brands, but in general are referred to as “ aviator” sunglasses.

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The first specialist aviator sunglasses appeared on the market in the 1930s, but in 1958 the Flight Goggle 58 were first produced. These were also known as the Original Pilot Sunglass, and were produced for the American military in order to provide a combination of maximum comfort, optical performance and protection. Over 45 years have passed since then but the Original Pilot Sunglass is still the US Military’s preferred brand of aviator sunglasses.

The legend of the Original Pilot Sunglass grew in particular as they were brought up to the moon one the famous “Eagle” lunar landing in July 1969. If you go to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington DC you will see this brand of aviator sunglasses featured.

Nowadays you can but these sunglasses, which are still all manufactured in the USA. They are performance tested to be standard issue for all of the branches of the US military whilst retaining the classic aviator styling that has made them the favourite of US military aviators for over 40 years as well as being used by US sailors. Soldiers, airmen and marines since 1958. They have a sturdy and rugged structure and the steel alloy frame is finished with high quality to hold the distortion free, well toughened and polished lenses. These sunglasses are the standard bearer of all the sunglasses used by the military and are available in three different lens sizes – 52, 55 and 57mm and with three frame colours – gold, silver and black.

Another different style of aviator sunglasses are the General. These are like the WWII standard issue USAAF/USN sunglasses and were made famous by General Douglas MacArthur. They can be worn on any occasion – whether you are in the air or on the ground. These glasses have a more pronounced tear-drop shape. You can also get both lens styles in clip-on form. Ray Ban, Gucci and Chanel make aviator sunglasses. Check out their websites for more details. 

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2008 - Aviator Sunglasses

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