Originally Posted by slvoid
Actually, that's what I said. The optics are on the plane and displayed on a unit on your head vs. the stand alone units these guys are talking about. Flying is one thing, optical physics is another. There is no physical way that you're going to get the same response and resolution from an 6+ inch lens (which is what I'm assuming is on the optics on your apache) vs. a 1/2" lens mounted on your head.
You must be a pretty good pilot flying 140 knots at 30ft above the ground. Unless you mean water? Cause my friends in the airforce (not army, maybe you guys do things differently) say helicoptor or not, the only time when they fly 30ft at 70-80% of their aircraft's max speed is either over flat ground or open waters, anytime they saw forest, they go up to 3-400ft, anything lower would be suicidal. But believe me, anything that this guy could afford to wear on his bike would probably not be able to respond to changes like a quick look to the right and left (180 degrees/sec or so). The apache's FLIR and tracking eletronics that display images to your HUD can't even respond that fast. Though I'm no apache pilot, simple physics says bombing down single trails at speed in the dark requires faster changes in direction than a couple thousand pounds of apache that rely on aerodynamics.
Anyway, point being, I seriously wouldn't recommend night vision on a bike unless you're going to be going down a paved road.
Helos do things differently than fixed wing aircraft. Tactical jet pilots use NVGs also. Stand alone systems mounted on their helmets. Not attached to the jet in any way. They're used to fly in low level flight; 500' above the ground at 500 MPH sometimes.
Riding a bike with them? I wouldn't want to. I've used them and besides being heavy, they are 2D. They have no depth. You have to be trained to try to learn how to pick out clues to get some perception and even then, those clues aren't always even there. Also, they don't turn night into day. They amplify existing light, so if it's pitch dark - say, a moonless night in thick woods - you're not going to get anything out of the goggles.
Finally, at least on the ones I used, bright lights won't blind you. That's a Hollywoodism. They'll either shut down or the screen will turn bright green. Remember, you're not looking directly at the light, you're looking at an image of what the collecter sees and is projecting to your display. So - brigh lights won't blind you. But, if you're looking through the goggles and they shut down, same basic effect, I guess.
I'd say, get a light.