best lip light/boom mic light

[Cavrone]

I used the search, but didn't find anything on it. Just wondering what the best lip light/boom mic lights are out there. I think I want one that is just NVG green compatible, maybe with infrared. Is there a reputable internet dealer that I could be comfortable ordering from? I want one that also has an on/off switch that you can operate with your lip.

Thanks,

Cavrone

 

[Pags]

I used the search, but didn't find anything on it. Just wondering what the best lip light/boom mic lights are out there. I think I want one that is just NVG green compatible, maybe with infrared. Is there a reputable internet dealer that I could be comfortable ordering from? I want one that also has an on/off switch that you can operate with your lip.

Thanks,

Cavrone

I've only ever used the one I was issued, which is I believe is the same one you can get from Wings for a lot more than it cost be issued. It's got a couple of green LEDs and pretty much covers all your lip light needs. One of these days I'm gonna get me a finger light, which is a little bit easier to use and, if you're into this sort of thing, more tactically astute.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Having an infrared lip light is useless in my opinion. Your goggles will be focused to optical infinity, so when you turn on your infrared lip light and look down with your goggles - it will be blurry because it's inside the focal length. Stay with NVIS green. Get the issue one.

 

[Pags]

Having an infrared lip light is useless in my opinion. Your goggles will be focused to optical infinity, so when you turn on your infrared lip light and look down with your goggles - it will be blurry because it's inside the focal length. Stay with NVIS green. Get the issue one.

For the unwashed: You look through the goggles to see outside of the cockpit (duh), but look under them and use normal vision to look at things inside the cockpit like gauges, charts, kneeboards, etc. Goggles are focused like binoculars or a camera lens and don't work on near objects, only stuff farther way.

 

[Stearmann4]

Having an infrared lip light is useless in my opinion.

Phrog's spot-on. Additionally, the green lip lights which amount to "helmet flair" for pilots, are bullet magnets when you forget to turn them off before you land at the target. And don't say "I'll always remember" cuz' you won't when you get busy. Invest in several good finger lights which are much more useful. I fly with two on each hand and a couple spares velcroed to the dash.

Back-ender's seem to use them quite a bit though, doing aft station checks, clearing guns, etc.

And no, don't ask how I know lip lights are bullet magnets.

 

[squorch2]

Nothing like being able to see someone's lip light before you can see the rest of the helo...

 

[phrogpilot73]

Phrog's spot-on. Additionally, the green lip lights which amount to "helmet flair" for pilots, are bullet magnets when you forget to turn them off before you land at the target. And don't say "I'll always remember" cuz' you won't when you get busy. Invest in several good finger lights which are much more useful. I fly with two on each hand and a couple spares velcroed to the dash.

Honestly, I tried finger lights but never liked them. I used a liplight during start up and shut down. Before we taxied, I'd disconnect the battery (no chance of accidentally turning it on). Then, I'd use a small chemlight that when I wasn't using it to reference my map/instruments what have you - I'd shove it in the side pocket of my kneeboard so no light came out.

 

[Pags]

Honestly, I tried finger lights but never liked them. I used a liplight during start up and shut down. Before we taxied, I'd disconnect the battery (no chance of accidentally turning it on). Then, I'd use a small chemlight that when I wasn't using it to reference my map/instruments what have you - I'd shove it in the side pocket of my kneeboard so no light came out.

I've started using Krill lights like these in the cockpit:

Good stuff. For others who haven't BTDT, there are also chemlight holders available to limit how much light a chemlight puts out.

 

[highside7r]

Phrog's spot-on. Additionally, the green lip lights which amount to "helmet flair" for pilots, are bullet magnets when you forget to turn them off before you land at the target. And don't say "I'll always remember" cuz' you won't when you get busy. Invest in several good finger lights which are much more useful. I fly with two on each hand and a couple spares velcroed to the dash.

Back-ender's seem to use them quite a bit though, doing aft station checks, clearing guns, etc.

And no, don't ask how I know lip lights are bullet magnets.

We have new guys wanting one attached to right away! Pretty much SOP no one will wear one. Great for me as I have extras to throw on my D. Clarks for civie flying. Back in my HS days, one could always tell who was flying -2.

 

[Pags]

We have new guys wanting one attached to right away! Pretty much SOP no one will wear one. Great for me as I have extras to throw on my D. Clarks for civie flying. Back in my HS days, one could always tell who was flying -2.

Lip lights are standard navy issue in flight school (as I'm sure highsider knows), mainly for their utility in a non-tactical environment where those of us in Navy helos fly the most of our missions. There's been a lot of push from my community's weapon school to get people to break the habit of using lip lights when doing tactical flights. Of course, they haven't gone so far as to buy finger lights for us, but oh well.

 

[KnightNArmor]

My last CO didn't allow us to use lip lights for the "bullet magnet" reason. You will at some point forget to turn it off. I use a finger light or just good ol' fashioned chem lights. Usually a blue or green with just a little bit of the cover opened up. Turns it into a redneck flashlight. But you can store them in the mapcase and you don't usually have to pay for them.

 

[Stearmann4]

We're also issued Petzl lights we wear around the neck which are perfect for start up, shut down and post flights. Also makes a good, readily accessible E & E light.

 

[Gatordev]

We're also issued Petzl lights we wear around the neck which are perfect for start up, shut down and post flights. Also makes a good, readily accessible E & E light.

The only ones I see on their website (after an exhaustive 10 second search) were headlamps. Do you have a pic of what you're using? I'm always curious to see what's out there as an option to the piss-poor lighting that's in the -60B.

 

[Purdue]

I hate my liplight...

it is useful, but I've never been able to get that switch to work with my lip. My lip just pushes the whole boom away from my face.

I end up looking like a retard trying to smack myself in the face to get it on or off... taking my hand off the collective to do so.

I really like my $5 NVD green fingerlight I got off eBay in primary... but, it's only useful if I'm not at the controls.

 

[MasterBates]

What was worse for viz from the 60B in particular was the aiming of the grimes lights at the instruments to see them, as the cockpit lighting is (was?) NOT NVG compatible.

When I was LSO, I could see the grimes lights long before the lip lights or position lights when the helos were coming in.