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Using a soft helmet with goggles and flying in cold weather with your head out in the air stream presents some challenges. How does one keep the mask up over the nose under the goggles and not fog up your glasses? The trick is to make a stiff wire insert to mold the lower edge of the opening to match the face outline over the nose and upper cheek bones.
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I cut a 6.5 inch long piece of wire from a coat hanger. A little longer would be better because the ends can always be trimmed off. This hanger was selected because it was plastic coated and the metal is protected from moisture.
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Mold the wire, starting in the center so that if fits close up over the bridge of the nose below the glasses, down beside the nose, out over the upper cheeks and back over the top of the cheek bones. It is important that the wire ends are well outside the eye and curved back to help stabilize and seal away any exhaled air to prevent the fogging of the glasses.
When I convert another ski mask, I will use a longer piece of wire, and curve the wire back and up, so that it is not possible for the wire end to touch the eye. |
Snip a couple of stitches in the binding and slip the wire into place.
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Here is the finished product. The fabric is held close to your face and over the nose so that exhaled air cannot flow to the back side of the glasses. Also the soft helmet and goggles help to seal out exhaled air too.
I have flown with this open weave ski mask with an out side air at just above freezing and it does a good job. For cooler conditions, I will be converting a heavier cloth ski mask. It is great to be able to taxi out and see without your eye glasses fogging. |