The World’s Best Sunglasses For Helmets & Headsets

In late 2014, after a successful crowdfunding campaign, Dean Siracusa, a private pilot, decided to sell his plane and chase a dream – to create the lightest, most comfortable aviator sunglasses the world has ever known. «The interesting thing about classic aviator sunglasses is they were designed before pilots used headsets,» Siracusa said from his south Austin home, «so even though aviators look stylish, most pilots will tell you, ‘If you’re wearing a headset with traditional aviators, they can become a real pain in the ears.'»

After fulfilling orders for the original Flying Eyes crowdfunding campaign in 2014 and securing distribution in the United Kingdom,Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, Siracusa set his sights on bringing his ultra-thin temples to other frame styles, putting classic aviators on the top of his list. «The aviator design hasn’t really changed that much since they were invented more than 70 years ago, so it seemed like the perfect place to start.»

The secret to Flying Eyes’ design is a material called Ultem – a patented, flexible polymer originally designed for the aerospace industry. With its extreme flexibility and durability, Flying Eyes temples are able to be extremely thin: just 1mm. This allows them to fit seamlessly under any helmet or headset, with minimal pressure or irritation to the sides of the head.

In 2015, with a year over year increase in US motorcycle sales, and more people wearing over-ear headphones than ever before, Flying Eyes may be in front of a very big shift in the sunglasses market, as more people look for comfort around their ears as much as protection for their eyes.  In addition to the updated aviators, Flying Eyes has announced a number of new frame styles with their latest crowdfunding campaign, including updated beach frames, sport frames, readers, and protective wear.