At Sun ‘n Fun, the LoPresti Speed Merchants showed one of those products you probably didn’t think you needed until you saw it: an LED-equipped ball cap. Yep, you read that right. According to Dave LoPresti, one of his employees found himself flying at night with a sudden loss of panel illumination, and used the traditional “flashlight in the mouth” approach to regain panel visibility. However, he found it almost impossible to talk to ATC this way, and he ended this flight with a split front tooth as well. So LoPresti is now offering these caps with either two white LEDs, or two white and two red LEDs sewn into the bill as a solution for about $25.According to the manufacturer of these caps, Panther Vision of West Dundee, Illinois, the two CR-2032 batteries (included) will power both sets of LEDs for up to 30 hours. Both the white and red LED sets have independent switches in the bill, and each runs off of a dedicated battery, so a certain amount of redundency is available for a true emergency situation. Another nice detail is the absence of the usual top button on the cap, allowing for a comfortable fit under headsets.For more information, visit LoPresti.
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