A long leg under an over-ear ANR headset is a temple problem and a lens problem. This page leads with the Randolph Aviator’s bayonet temples and a non-polarized gray glass lens. Glass-cockpit gradient lenses and a lower bayonet price are on the GA sunglasses page.
By a working airline pilot · How we pick · Last reviewed Sep 28, 2026 (ET)
What changed: new category page for non-polarized sunglasses under an over-ear headset.
Top picks
The short version — labels come from our full write-ups below.
Transmission figures are the makers’ published numbers. Visible light transmission (VLT) and Randolph’s “light transmission” are both the share of light the lens lets through. Prices are what we saw on a live page on Sep 28, 2026. Weights are listed only when the maker prints one.
Randolph non-polarized American Gray was $285 in every size; polarized on the same page was $345. Kingfisher Sport non-polarized Dark Solid Gray and Gradient Gray were $239; Polarized Solid Gray was $249. Liberator was $289 for Gold Titanium with Bronze or Gray, and both showed available. Select the non-polarized lens on Randolph and Flying Eyes. The photo is the frame; the lens option is the one on the product page.
Non-polarized, and a temple that fits under the cup
Polarized lenses pass light in one plane. On an LCD that can turn a display dark or black as the angle changes — a primary flight display, a multifunction display, or a tablet. The same filter can also cut glare reflecting off another aircraft, which is one of the cues used to see traffic. Flying Eyes says polarized lenses can interfere with PFDs, MFDs, and PDAs, and that polarized solid gray can interfere with panel screens and make other aircraft harder to see. Randolph labels non-polarized American Gray as “Preferred by pilots or for use with HUDs.” Treat that as general guidance, not a guarantee that every screen will black out, or that every non-polarized lens will be easy to read. Pilots on Pilots of America describe a check: tilt your head, and if the display goes black, the lenses are acting like a polarizer.
Airline framing: The lead pair is the bayonet. Randolph calls those temples “specially designed for comfort under headgear.” Flying Eyes sells millimeter-thin seamless temples and says the frames are for headsets and helmets. Scheyden says its slim temples fit under a headset or a hat. None of the three pages publishes a seal measurement, so the comparison below is temple style, transmission, weight where it exists, and price. Gradient gray for a bright panel is on the GA sunglasses page.
Randolph Aviator, Military Special Edition, Matte Black
Lens: SkyTec glass, American Gray, with Vector anti-reflective and Blue Wave coatings, UVA/UVB protection. Randolph: “Non-Polarized - Preferred by pilots or for use with HUDs.”
Tint / transmission: Light transmission 18% on the non-polarized American Gray
Temples: Signature bayonet tips, “specially designed for comfort under headgear.” Temple length 140 mm in 52, 55, and 58 mm lens sizes; 150 mm in the 61 mm XL
Weight: Not published on the product page
Price: ~$285 for non-polarized in Small (52 mm), Regular (55 mm), Large (58 mm), and XL (61 mm). The polarized lens on the same page is $345 in each size. Choose Non-Polarized.
Bayonet temples, the style Randolph ties to headgear, against seamless thin temples on the Kingfisher and slim adjustable temples on the Liberator
18% transmission, which passes more light than the Kingfisher Dark Solid Gray at 11.41% VLT
Glass lens, against polycarbonate on the Kingfisher and RZR resin on the Liberator
$285, which is $46 above the Kingfisher’s $239 non-polarized price
The polarized option sits on the same page at $345 — $60 more, and it is the lens this page is steering away from
Weight is unpublished, so it cannot be compared with the Liberator’s 1.5 oz
Choose the Randolph for a long leg when the bayonet is the point and you want the 18% gray glass. Vs Kingfisher Sport: 18% transmission against 11.41% VLT, bayonet against millimeter-thin temples, $285 against $239. The photo is the matte black Aviator. Confirm Non-Polarized American Gray before you pay.
Lens: Impact-resistant polycarbonate, UV400. Choose Dark Solid Gray, which is a non-polarized tint. Polarized Solid Gray is a different lens.
Tint / VLT: 11.41% for the darker solid gray, from Flying Eyes’ lens guide. Polarized Solid Gray is listed at 13.37% VLT on that same guide, and Flying Eyes says it can interfere with panel screens.
Temples: Millimeter-thin seamless temples. Flying Eyes describes the frames as comfortable under headsets and helmets. Standard and Wide sizes; Matte Black Dark Solid Gray is SKU KFSR-MB-DSG (Standard) and KFSW-MB-DSG (Wide).
Weight: Not published on the product page
Price: ~$239 for non-polarized Dark Solid Gray. Polarized Solid Gray on the same product is $249.
$239, which is $46 under the Randolph non-polarized price and $50 under the Liberator’s $289
Thin seamless temples, the pair in this set built around headset clearance rather than a bayonet
11.41% VLT is the darkest published tint here, against 18% on the Randolph. Scheyden does not publish a VLT.
Less light through the lens than the Randolph: 11.41% against 18%
Polarized Solid Gray is one click away at $249
Weight unpublished, same gap as the Randolph
Choose the Kingfisher Sport when the headset cup is the constraint and a darker solid gray is what you want on a long day. Vs Randolph: VLT 11.41% against 18% transmission, $239 against $285. A gradient gray in this same frame, for reading a panel and an iPad, is the lead on the GA sunglasses page.
Lens: Razor Sharp Resin (RZR). Polarization is listed as non-polarized. Scheyden says these lenses are for reading instrument panels. VLT is not published. Colors: High Contrast Bronze and Neutral Gray.
Temples: Adjustable slim temples, “fit comfortably for hours under a headset or hat,” with silicone tips
Weight: 1.5 oz · titanium frame
Price: ~$289. Regular price and sale price were both $289. Gold Titanium with Bronze and with Gray both showed available on Sep 28, 2026. Stock has moved before, so check it.
The only published weight in this set: 1.5 oz. Randolph and Flying Eyes do not print a weight.
Non-polarized is the lens the product is sold with, so there is no polarized stock option to mis-click on this frame
Slim adjustable temples, with Scheyden’s own headset line in the product copy
$289, the highest price here, $4 above the Randolph’s $285 and $50 above the Kingfisher’s $239
Sold-out labels on the frame color and both lens colors
No published VLT, so the tint cannot be compared with 18% or 11.41%
Choose the Liberator when you want a listed 1.5 oz and a frame that does not offer a polarized lens. Vs Randolph: $289 against $285, resin against glass, and a weight the Randolph page does not give. Stock has gone in and out, so check it before you count on a pair for the next trip.
Brand product pages for lens type, transmission, temple style, weight, and price, opened the same day. Polarized-lens guidance is quoted from those makers and treated as general guidance, not a guarantee. A Pilots of America thread is linked for the tilt-your-head check pilots describe. We did not wear these frames.
Serengeti comes up in that same thread. The US product pages did not load, so there is no Serengeti card and no price. More on our method: About & how we pick.
