Francis IFR Hood

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One Year Guarantee Our one-year guarantee has not changed since we introduced our first product in 1962. If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, let us know—we will make it right. If you would like a refund or exchange, please return the product on a timely basis in the same condition in which it was received. Price Guarantee Sporty's guarantees competitive pricing on everything we sell. If you find a competitor offering an identical item at a lower advertised price, just mail or fax us the ad, and Sporty's will match that price. Standard Express Shipping We offer the fastest shipping in the business, so you won't have to wait for your important charts or a last-minute gift. Since we stock almost everything we sell, we offer same day shipping: in-stock orders placed by 5pm Eastern (weekdays), will be shipped that same day, often within minutes of ordering. Plus, all orders arrive in just 2 business days with standard shipping. Overnight shipping is also available on most items. Return Policy For over 40 years, in addition to same day shipping, Sporty's has offered same day returns and same day exchanges. Each day, we process all returns and exchanges before new orders go out. We know of no other company who does this! Sporty's Shops ATTN: Returns Dept Clermont County Airport Batavia, OH 45103 Customer Service Our Customers Write Privacy Policy

20 Most Recent Reviews

Reviewed On:  May 12, 2010   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros Restricts peripheral vision well while still letting you see the instruments. Cons If your glasses are too wide, it may not work well for you. I have one pair of rather wide (aviator-style) glasses that I use for flying, and if I wear them with this hood they get pressed into my nose and give me headaches. If I wear my everyday glasses (which are somewhat smaller), the hood works great. General Comments If you wear bifocals, foggles and other clip-on view limiting devices don't work well because they only let you use the close-up vision portion of your glasses, so anything that isn't right in front of you is blurred. This hood will fit over your glasses unless they are very wide, enabling you to use the intermediate and distance vision portions of your glasses.

Reviewed On:  April 7, 2010   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros No Pros Listed From This Reviewer. Cons No Cons Listed From This Reviewer. General Comments

Reviewed On:  January 27, 2010   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros VERY GOOD HOOD, BLOCKS ALL VIEWS MAYBE TO MUCH. Cons VISION IS RESTRICTED TO WHERE YOU CAN'T SEE YOUR LAP OR A YOKE MOUNTED GPS. MAKES IT HARD TO SEE CHARTS. I CUT SOME OF THE PLASTIC AWAY TO HELP SEE DOWN. General Comments GOOD HOOD MAKES IT HARD TO SEE OUT AND DOWN YOU MIGHT NEED TO MODIFY IT TO TAKE AWAY AOME OF THE TUNNEL VISION.

Reviewed On:  September 23, 2009   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros No way of cheating with this view limiting devise. The blackout/disorientation is total. After one week of use, feel my flying is more precise. Cons No Cons Listed From This Reviewer. General Comments Excellent learning aid!

Reviewed On:  August 31, 2009   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros Exceptionally comfortable and secure with a compact, yet very effective visor. It also fits well under the headsets. Another good thing is, because of it's small size, it is always out of the way, yet very easilly retrieved from the floor behind the front seats. Cons The visor still lets some of the external view to be seen. I would say you get about 98% immersion with just a tiny portion of your upper left field of view exposed to the outside environment under normal head position. General Comments I was worried because I bought this without being able to try it on. But I was very lucky as this IFR hood is great.

Reviewed On:  August 25, 2009   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros No Pros Listed From This Reviewer. Cons No Cons Listed From This Reviewer. General Comments Until I started using the Francis Hood, I had been using my instructors foggles. Afterwards my performance slightly suffered because the Francis Hood was apparently working too well. My best guess is that I must have been unconsciously taking in peripheral situational clues using the foggles which allows for certain light (i.e. VASI on an ILS) and subtle motion detection. The Francis Hood, completely eliminates this visibility and peripheral vision, except for a small spot to the left. I can almost relate it to flying at night. Ultimately I think this will help me train better for instrument conditions.

Reviewed On:  July 2, 2009   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros well constructed and durable. Cons vision too restricted. Not suitable for use with glasses. General Comments I thought the product was decent in its durability and well- constructed, but it's not usable for people with glasses so I had to return it. I'm also a little concerned about how severely it restricts overall vision; while the side vision that is often visible through other hoods is gone, it so is the downward vision which is needed for reading plates and any controls under the instrument panel. I could see myself doing a lot of quick up and down head movements, which I wasn't crazy about.

Reviewed On:  May 29, 2009   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros Great for IFR training or just to seat at your PC, and practice some homing, tracking or holding at the Flight Simulator. Cons On a hot cockpit during a sunny day, for its black color you will begin to sweat! You have to adjust the back strap otherwise pretty annoying General Comments Very recommended. If you don't want to cheat, this is for you

Reviewed On:  May 12, 2009   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros The best on the market. Other "foggles" allow you to peek at the ground. Not these, you see ONLY the instruments. Cons Looks fruity. General Comments

Reviewed On:  March 11, 2009   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros No Pros Listed From This Reviewer. Cons No Cons Listed From This Reviewer. General Comments

Reviewed On:  February 6, 2009   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros The hood completly eliminates outside view and restricts vision to the instruments. It fits well and it's comfortable through the entire duration of the flight. Cons None. General Comments This IFR hood performes better than any other I have tried.

Reviewed On:  December 5, 2008   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros Effective device. Strong and durable. Cons The device I received was not fully painted. The top of the bill was white, and was obviously missed in the final painting process. General Comments Other than the missing paint, this product is a great product. I have tried several other sight-limiting devices, and none compare to this.

Reviewed On:  December 3, 2008   Would You Recommend This Product:  No.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros no lenses to get scratched Cons made for people with small noses General Comments

Reviewed On:  December 3, 2008   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros Rugged and comfortable and I can wear my glasses with them! I wanted a compact hood that really provided tunnel vision so there was no way to cheat as I sometimes unintentionally do these work and they are very compact and do not block my CFII view in the cockpit like the larger hoods. Cons Non to speak of. General Comments

Reviewed On:  November 6, 2008   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros This Hood definitely limits your view of everything except the instrument panel. It is pretty compact in size making it easy to toss in the flight bag. Cons The strap clasp can sometimes pop off when putting the hood on over your headset. General Comments The Francis IFR Hood is a must have for all pilots, not just those who fly IFR regularly.

Reviewed On:  September 23, 2008   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros No Pros Listed From This Reviewer. Cons No Cons Listed From This Reviewer. General Comments Compact, comfortable, lightweight and VERY EFFECTIVE at reducing or eliminating any outside visibility. The black plastic is perfect for preventing any distracting light penetration. As good or better than any I've used over the last 35 years.

Reviewed On:  August 11, 2008   Would You Recommend This Product:  Yes.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros Does an excellent job limiting your view. Cons No Cons Listed From This Reviewer. General Comments

Reviewed On:  February 27, 2008   Would You Recommend This Product:  No.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros It surely does a good job at restricting the view to the instruments. Cons The visual restriction goes a little too far, I could hardly see the top instruments. Also the piece of felt on the nose area gets in the way, the hood is also too wide for a face the size of mine. General Comments I am mostly neutral with this hood, it might work for some, it didn't for me, it is made of a durable material I think it can even withstand being driven over, but it just didn't work for me. I did like how quickly Sporty's processed my return and refund. Thank you guys.

Reviewed On:  February 19, 2008   Would You Recommend This Product:  No.
Overall Rating Durability Reliablity Value Usability Expectations	Pros No Pros Listed From This Reviewer. Cons It is tight on my head (not enough adjustment in the strap). I expected the front to swivel up for easy use on final landing approach. General Comments

20 Most Recent Reviews