While I have loved flying in sunny skies for 45 years, sometimes (as all pilots know), the sun can be a bit too bright and hot. This includes operations on the ground since even air-conditioned aircraft have challenges in hot and humid environments.
We first reviewed Jet Shades in the March 2019 issue of Twin & Turbine. I met Kevin Duggan, the founder of Jet Shades when I obtained the first set of their product for my Eclipse Jet. Once I started using them, there was no turning back. I’ve since wanted them in all of the airplanes I fly, from pistons to jets and now gyrocopters as well.
Subsequently, I’ve installed them in a Cirrus SR22, Cessna T206H, Beechcraft Premier, Cessna CJ3, and Cessna CJ. My son, Tigre, and I even worked with the Jet Shade’s team on the design for some of these aircraft. The process was iterative, with multiple test flights, to ensure the products met our goals. They were some of the most enjoyable test flights I’ve done.
While Jet Shades’ original composition works well, Kevin, an engineer, searched for the next generation of the material, and they have developed a new product with exceptional capabilities. The new product line is called Ultra-Thins for lighter aircraft and Gen 2 for heavier aircraft. The new product is thinner, more lightweight, and can withstand much higher temperatures. Tigre and I also found the material extremely useful in curved applications, especially when designing templates for side windows that wrap around the fuselage.
Since there are many variations of interior trims on aircraft even within the same model year, and especially after years of exposure to environmental heat and UV, installation flexibility becomes a key component of the design. Jet Shades’ original products can be custom-made or adjusted in the field. However, the new offering is substantially easier to trim – even with conventional scissors if necessary. The choice of materials gives the aircraft owner options, and the team at Jet Shades can offer suggestions on the best choice.
All Jet Shades products offer excellent optical clarity and ease of installation, and new versions are no exception. Jet Shades will offer the new product in two variations: High-Visibility and Premium, both of which block 99.9 percent of UV-A and UV-B and exceptionally reduce heat transmission. The Premium upgrade will substantially increase the filtering of infrared and visible light.
Jet Shades also offers a Professional Series of their product, starting with the Cessna Citation models. In addition to a unique mounting system, the set includes Cruising Shade, which are movable panels usable when flying at high altitudes.
An interesting option is the laser engraving on the shade itself to personalize your set. I’ve installed Gen 2 sets on the Citations we fly for our personal and business flights, and we are very pleased with the results. Whenever Tigre and I fly a plane without them, we always comment on how we miss them in the cockpit.
Now in the fourth year of production, Jet Shades has sold thousands of its products in a variety of aircraft. Knowing Kevin and his team, they will continue to expand and innovate their product line in the future.
