Foggles vs. the Hood for Instrument training

A150K

A150K

Well-Known Member
I'm an Instrument student right now and I choose to use the Hood because by what I've noticed, It restricts visibility way more than the foggles do. I used the foggles during the 3 hours of instrument for my private, while they are more comfortable, they still give a slight (very slight) referance to whats going on outside.

What do you guys think?
 
I've used both, for some reason the way the hood curves makes me sick to my stomach. I used the jeppshades and really like them. Try and get as much actual as possible though in training, it's different then the hood.
 
1 & 2 would be comfort and ease of use. Comfort because you're going to be wearing them and it won't take long for a slightly uncomfortable view-limiting device to become extremely uncomfortable. Ease of use because you won't have them on all the time and also because when you want them out of the way (such as when it's tme to actually land) you want them far enough out of the way that they're not a distraction. Jepp shades are comfortable under a headset, and flip up out of the way. Foggles are pretty comfortable for most people too, and you can take them off and hand them to your instructor to get them out of the way.

I've never used one of those flip up hoods, but they don't look like they'd be very comfortable while wearing a headset, and you definitely don't want it flopping down in front of your eyes while you're trying to land.

Seeing outside the airplane from under the hood or foggles isn't a big deal as far as I'm concerned. Your view of the outside is only supposed to be limited, not totally blocked off.
 
Mike H said:
Seeing outside the airplane from under the hood or foggles isn't a big deal as far as I'm concerned. Your view of the outside is only supposed to be limited, not totally blocked off.
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I agree with you on the issue of seeing, although my reason is a little bit different.

Ideally, the view out the window would be blocked entirely - after all, in solid cloud, you can't see the ground or whatever. But I've noticed (and maybe the comments about nausea are apropos) that that little bit of view of things moving outside the airplane that you get from foggles, JeppShades, etc, is a bit vertigo/leans inducing. And from the standpoint of instrument training, that's a good thing.
 
A150K said:
I'm an Instrument student right now and I choose to use the Hood because by what I've noticed, It restricts visibility way more than the foggles do. I used the foggles during the 3 hours of instrument for my private, while they are more comfortable, they still give a slight (very slight) referance to whats going on outside.

What do you guys think?
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Slight? Please! When I wore those I asked my instructor if he wanted me to fly over that cloud. He didn't respond. ;)
 
I don't know about anyone else, but the hood on my jepp shades started tearing apart after about 10 hrs of (non-abusive) instrument training... I vote hood: less moving parts=win
 
There is something to be said about having a 'slight' image from outside sometimes inducing vertigo. That would be the only good reason to get some of that experience, however...

I have observed instrument pilots who have always gotten some outside 'help' during the instrument training, and when they put a full hood on, they are pretty shakey. That may be a contributing factor in why real IMC is so different.
Even when you have on a full hood, the movement of sunlight on the panel will give subliminal clues that some axies is changing, ie., a slight (1 degree) heading change, a slight roll, any relative movement of the airplane will display a shadow or sunlight movement on the panel, which causes you to increase your scan to discover what caused the movement.

It is hard to get a lot of actual, but you can do better by using a full hood under overcast skies so that you don't get the sunlight movement.
 
jhugz said:
I've used both, for some reason the way the hood curves makes me sick to my stomach. I used the jeppshades and really like them. Try and get as much actual as possible though in training, it's different then the hood.
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Man, you seriously need to grow a pair!














:sarcasm:
 
If you want to get really good at BAIF, do as much of your instrument training at night as you possibly can.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Just try to do it all IMC, and you should be fine ;)
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adk said:
If you want to get really good at BAIF, do as much of your instrument training at night as you possibly can.
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Both of these are good ideas.

However, that being said, I think the hood works a little better at restricting outside references. Nice thing about foggles is they fit in the flight bag a little better for those days when you get to the hold short line and you have an "oops, forgot to make sure the hood was in here" moment. Note: in that case a suitable hood can also be fashioned out of a sectional chart. Things I DIDN'T learn in my CFI training...
 
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Comfort and size of foggles, yet acts more like the hood.

I bought two pairs for my students but I was able to use them myself too. I do think my students liked them and benefited from them.

Viban
 
I second the Viban's. Easy to put on and take off and do a fine job of covering everything you want covered.
 
Douglas said:
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Comfort and size of foggles, yet acts more like the hood.

I bought two pairs for my students but I was able to use them myself too. I do think my students liked them and benefited from them.

Viban
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Nice, but $30? I like the folded up sectional idea- much cheaper.
 
The francis hood is what i use. It's horrible. You can barely see everything in your scan without working for it. Now, the plus side is that when you can fly good basic attitudes with that horrid thing, actual is no problem.

As others have said, get as much actual as you can. It's a different physical and physic experience. However i wouldn't delay training waiting for it. Here in Southern Oklahoma we've had maybe two days in the last month that were good imc.
 
poser765 said:
The francis hood is what i use. It's horrible. You can barely see everything in your scan without working for it. Now, the plus side is that when you can fly good basic attitudes with that horrid thing, actual is no problem.

As others have said, get as much actual as you can. It's a different physical and physic experience. However i wouldn't delay training waiting for it. Here in Southern Oklahoma we've had maybe two days in the last month that were good imc.
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I'm already well into my training. The problem with doing it this time of year is the lack of any safe actual (clouds don't come around in NM too often, and when they do, they bring some nasty icing in the winter and embedded t-storms (pretty isolated much of the time) in the summer). It is very possible I will finish with 0 actual. Let's just say that the flight before the IR checkride won't be the last time I fly with my CFII..
 
MattXJ7 said:
I don't know about anyone else, but the hood on my jepp shades started tearing apart after about 10 hrs of (non-abusive) instrument training... I vote hood: less moving parts=win
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Awesome avatar, is that a hippo?
 
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