odd eyes!?!

bizarre eye control

hi, I was hoping a genuine apache pilot could put an end to the longstanding disagreement we have on my watch at work. we read a lot about you guys having to focus on your monacle while in flight meaning each eye is doing it's own thing. the question being though, is the independent thing only about having to focus each eye at differrent focal distances (one at a few milimetres for the monacle, the other at any distance between your instruments and the horizon), or do you guys have to be able to do this as well as pointing each eye in it's own direction like a chamelion can?

while there are some great opportunities for winding each other up on this subject, I reckon it's gone on long enough without the honest truth coming to the surface.

I honestly thought you were only having to focus at different distances but Ed Macey writes as if it's the latter that is the case. gives me a headache just thinking about it.

cheers fellas.

Phil smith
sheffield

I do apologize for not answering sooner. TBH, I haven't messed with this site in years. I have found the time now to at least start thinking about what to do with it.
To answer your question, it is impossible to have different eyes focused on two different objects. Your eye that is "aided", meaning having the HDU over your eye, is usually what you focus on. We use the "HDU" mostly at night time for it has the FLIR image. During the daytime it is really a combination of both. During the daytime the HDU superimposes flight symbology into the HDU. Whichever you are using, the aided eye or the one that is not, you are using the other eye's peripheral vision.
To break it down in simpler terms, you do use both eyes. Just not at the same time. It is a constant of both. The pilot is constantly referring to both the aided eye and the non-aided eye to give him a larger picture of the surroundings. Another way to explain it would to say while flying at night you are looking at the FLIR image. Since FLIR is in the near spectrum of IR energy it does not pick up a light source unless it is hot. So when I fly, I am constantly looking for other objects that have a light source with my unaided eye while looking at a FLIR image and flight symbolgy with my other eye but not at the same time. Hope this helps.

HDU= Helmet Display Unit ( the monocal )
Flight Symbolgy = information that is displayed inside the HDU..it gives altitude..horizon..airspeed..and things of this nature
FLIR = Forward Looking IfraRed ( Making an image from the differences of temperature of objects )

Thx for the question..
CW3 Bill Neal