Pilots require or benefit from instrument-only training in order to prepare for poor visibility conditions or in-air emergencies. Specific pilot training and evaluation procedures for instrument flight rating qualification currently involves the use of an opaque hood draped across an aircraft's wind screen to restrict or obscure the student pilot's vision during instrument-only flight sessions. Another alternative training technique is the use of a face mask worn by the pilot in training which greatly restricts the pilot's peripheral vision but also prevents the pilot from seeing the entire instrument panel without moving his or her head. There is a potential for disorientation by the use of such training techniques that otherwise complicates the task of instrument flight training. There is a need for a training technique that is effective in restricting the pilot's field of view while providing a more realistic and safer training experience. Ideally, the apparatus used for an improved training experience would also protect military or commercial pilots from hostile laser impingement into a cockpit.