Foggles are IFR training glasses, one type of view-limiting device (VLD): they block your view outside the airplane so you fly by instruments alone, which the regulations call simulated instrument flight. You will typically wear one for the 3 hours of instrument training on your private pilot certificate, for much of your instrument rating, and with a safety pilot to stay instrument current. Here is what the rules require, how foggles compare with hoods, BLOCKALLS and clip-ons, and how to fly under one safely.
Part of our Instrument Rating guide. This page is educational; confirm the rules against 14 CFR and follow your instructor’s guidance.
What a view-limiting device does
A view-limiting device restricts your vision to the instrument panel, so you control and navigate the airplane by instruments, as you would inside a cloud, while the weather outside stays clear. Pilots call this flying “under the hood,” whatever the device. Foggles is a brand of frosted-lens training glasses, though pilots often use the name loosely; the FAA’s term for the whole category is view-limiting device.
Because you cannot see outside, someone else must, which is why simulated instrument flight in a civil aircraft requires a safety pilot (your instructor fills that seat during lessons). The FAA’s Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B) lists “wearing a view-limiting device, such as a hood” as one way to log instrument time.
Where the rules call for a view-limiting device
The regulations describe flying “solely by reference to instruments” in actual or simulated conditions rather than naming a product. On a clear day, a view-limiting device is how you meet that standard. Here are the rules, checked against the current eCFR.
| Where it applies | What the rule says | Regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Private pilot training (airplane) | 3 hours of flight training solely by reference to instruments | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(3) |
| Instrument rating (airplane) | 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, 15 of them from an authorized instructor | 14 CFR 61.65(d)(2) |
| Logging instrument time | Only while flying solely by reference to instruments, in actual or simulated conditions | 14 CFR 61.51(g)(1) |
| Instrument currency | Six approaches, holding, and intercepting and tracking courses in the 6 calendar months before the month of the flight, in actual conditions or simulated with a view-limiting device | 14 CFR 61.57(c) |
| Safety pilot | Required in the other control seat for simulated instrument flight in a civil aircraft | 14 CFR 91.109(c) |
| Checkrides | You furnish a device that blocks your outside view but not the examiner’s | 14 CFR 61.45(d)(2) |
Private pilot: 3 hours by reference to instruments
For an airplane single-engine private certificate, 14 CFR 61.109(a)(3) requires 3 hours of flight training solely by reference to instruments: straight-and-level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems and radar services. The goal is not precision instrument flying but keeping control until you regain visual references if you ever fly into a cloud by mistake. Expect to wear a device for these lessons and on your private checkride, which includes Basic Instrument Maneuvers. See the full private pilot requirements.
Instrument rating: most of your 40 hours
Unless you train in real clouds, nearly all of the airplane portion of the 40 hours in 14 CFR 61.65(d)(2) is flown under a view-limiting device. The 40 must include at least 15 hours from an authorized instructor with an instrument-airplane rating (a CFII) and 3 hours of instrument training within 2 calendar months before the practical test. Part of the 40 may be logged in an approved simulator or training device within the limits in 61.65 (see which simulator time counts), and how you split the rest between instructor, safety pilot and simulator time shapes your instrument rating cost. See the full instrument rating requirements.
Logging the time correctly
Under 14 CFR 61.51(g)(1), you log instrument time only while operating the aircraft solely by reference to instruments, so log simulated instrument time from when the device goes on until it comes off, not the whole flight. For instrument currency, 61.51(g)(3) also requires the location and type of each approach and the name of the safety pilot, if one was required.
Staying instrument current
Once rated, you may act as pilot in command under IFR or in weather below VFR minimums only if, within the 6 calendar months before the month of the flight, you performed and logged six instrument approaches, holding procedures and tasks, and intercepting and tracking courses (14 CFR 61.57(c)). Actual weather, “simulated conditions using a view-limiting device,” or an approved simulator or training device for your aircraft category all count. If you have failed to meet that requirement for more than six calendar months, 61.57(d) requires an instrument proficiency check. See our instrument currency and IPC guide.
Foggles vs hood vs BLOCKALLS vs clip-ons
The four designs differ in how they work with eyeglasses and headsets and in how easily the outside leaks in. With any of them, tilt your head far enough and you will glimpse outside, so choose one that fits and keep your eyes on the panel.
| Feature | Frosted-lens glasses (Foggles) | Hood (ASA Jiffyhood) | Blinder-style shades (BLOCKALLS) | Clip-ons (ASA Overcasters) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it limits your view | Lenses frosted except a clear area at the bottom; you look down through it at the panel | Plastic visor on an adjustable elastic strap; you look under the bill at the panel | Dark wraparound shades with small openings low in each lens, aimed at the panel | Panels that clip onto your own glasses and flip up or down |
| Prescription glasses | Made to be worn like regular glasses, not over another pair | Fits over your glasses | Cannot be worn over prescription glasses | Made for glasses wearers; you need frames to clip them onto |
| Headset fit | Temple arms sit under the ear seals, like sunglasses | No temple arms; check that the strap and bill clear your headset | Thin temple arms designed to slide under ear seals | Only your own frames sit under the seals |
| Outside-view leaks | Raise your chin and the clear area lines up with the windshield | Tilt your head back and a gap opens under the bill | Small openings keep your view on the panel | Depends on how the panels sit on your frames |
| Comfort and storage | Light polycarbonate; wears like regular glasses | Bulkier, but rolls up to fit a flight bag | Ultra-light frame with a rubber nose cushion | Light and compact; flips up between tasks |
How to choose
You can compare every option in PilotMall’s IFR training products collection. In general:
- You wear prescription glasses. A hood such as the ASA Jiffyhood goes over them, and clip-ons such as ASA Overcasters attach to them.
- Headset seal matters most. Thin, straight temple arms disturb the ear seals least, the same reason pilots look for thin temples on pilot sunglasses. BLOCKALLS are designed around them.
- You want to practice breaking out at minimums. A flip-up clip-on or a quick-release hood switches you from the panel to the outside view in one motion.
- Several pilots share one device. The Jiffyhood’s adjustable elastic strap fits a range of head sizes.
- A checkride is coming. Train with the device you will bring; you must furnish it, and it must be acceptable to the FAA. See our instrument checkride guide.
What you'll need
The four view-limiting devices compared above, all from PilotMall.com.
Keep it in your flight bag. Store the device with your headset so an unplanned safety-pilot flight never catches you without it. Our flight bag guide covers what else belongs in there.
How to fly under a view-limiting device safely
Practice in a sim first. Build your scan and approach flows in a home flight simulator before you fly under the device. Home sim time does not count toward the 40 hours, but it makes the hours that count more productive.
Choose and brief your safety pilot
Under 14 CFR 91.109(c), simulated instrument flight in a civil aircraft requires:
- A safety pilot in the other control seat holding at least a private pilot certificate with category and class ratings appropriate to the aircraft (with one narrow exception for certain sport pilot instructors).
- Adequate vision forward and to each side for the safety pilot, or a competent observer on board to supplement it.
- Fully functioning dual controls, with a limited exception for single-engine airplanes with a throwover control wheel.
The FAA’s Office of the Chief Counsel has said 91.109 does not require the safety pilot to be instrument rated or instrument current, though the FAA encourages safety pilots to be thoroughly familiar and current in the airplane. The FAA treats the safety pilot as a required flight crewmember, so the medical rule in 14 CFR 61.3(c) applies: the safety pilot needs a medical certificate, or BasicMed within its limits. The FAA’s BasicMed page lists safety pilots among those it covers.
A practice flight, step by step
- Brief on the ground. Agree who is acting as pilot in command, what the safety pilot will call out, and exactly when the device goes on and comes off. The ACS asks checkride applicants and examiners to brief that same procedure.
- Agree on the control exchange. The FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook recommends three steps: “You have the flight controls,” “I have the flight controls,” “You have the flight controls,” plus a visual check.
- Put the device on at the agreed point, for example after takeoff at a set altitude.
- Fly a steady cross-check. The Instrument Flying Handbook names three classic scan errors: fixation (staring at one instrument), omission (leaving one out) and emphasis (relying on one instrument instead of the combination).
- Safety pilot: scan outside the whole time. 14 CFR 91.113(b) requires vigilance to see and avoid other aircraft whenever weather permits, under IFR or VFR. The Aeronautical Information Manual (8-1-6) recommends short, regularly spaced eye movements of no more than 10 degrees, watching each area for at least 1 second. Watch for traffic, terrain, airspace and clouds; on a VFR flight, VFR weather minimums still apply.
- Take it off at the briefed point and land visually.
- Log it: the simulated instrument time, each approach’s location and type, and the safety pilot’s name.
When to take it off
- At the point you briefed, such as decision altitude or the missed approach point.
- Whenever your safety pilot or instructor says so.
- When anything unusual happens: a traffic conflict, an abnormal indication, a radio problem, or if you feel disoriented or unwell.
- Before landing. The ACS notes that the device does not apply to task elements that require visual references.
Frequently asked questions
What are foggles?
Foggles are IFR training glasses with partially frosted lenses. They block your view outside the airplane while leaving the instrument panel visible, so you can practice flying solely by reference to instruments in clear weather while a safety pilot or instructor watches outside.
Do I need a safety pilot when I wear foggles?
Yes. Under 14 CFR 91.109(c), simulated instrument flight in a civil aircraft requires a safety pilot in the other control seat, normally a pilot with at least a private pilot certificate and the aircraft’s category and class ratings. Your flight instructor fills that seat during lessons.
Can I log instrument time while wearing foggles?
Yes, for the time you operate the aircraft solely by reference to instruments under simulated conditions, per 14 CFR 61.51(g)(1). Log it as simulated instrument time, and for currency approaches record each approach’s location and type and the safety pilot’s name, as 61.51(g)(3) requires.
Can I wear foggles over prescription glasses?
Foggles are made to fit like regular glasses rather than over another pair, and BLOCKALLS cannot be worn over prescription glasses. If you wear glasses, a hood such as the ASA Jiffyhood fits over them, or clip-ons such as ASA Overcasters attach to your frames.
Do I need my own view-limiting device for the checkride?
Yes. Under 14 CFR 61.45(d)(2), an applicant for a practical test that involves flying solely by reference to instruments must furnish a device that blocks the applicant’s outside view but not the examiner’s and is otherwise acceptable to the FAA. That covers the instrument checkride and the basic instrument tasks on the private checkride.
Can my safety pilot log the flight time?
Often, yes. Because 91.109(c) requires a safety pilot, the safety pilot may log second-in-command time when qualified under 14 CFR 61.51(f)(2), or pilot-in-command time under 61.51(e)(1)(iii) when acting as pilot in command. Agree on roles before the flight and confirm the details with your instructor.