Into the Sun

[Kyle Boatright]

We had gone to the NC beach for the weekend, and had to bug out because of
the hurricane threat. I was worried that even if the hurricane didn't head
right for us, that the outlying winds might get strong enough to prevent us
from departing.

Despite the winds Saturday evening (15 G 25), we had a smooth departure and
headed back towards Atlanta, getting a smooth ride and a bit of a tailwind
for most of the flight. The one thing we didn't have in our favor was
visibility. We were literally headed right into the setting sun for 2 hours.
The haze didn't help. I felt a little better about traffic avoidance because
we were using flight following, but I had a truly miserable time looking
into the sun for the whole flight, despite my sunglasses.

By the time we neared home, my pupils had contracted to the point that I was
having real problems getting them to open up enough to see the panel, which
is flat black. On this evening, it was sea of black with a bright orange
ball perched on top, and the instruments barely visible. As soon as we
changed course to enter the pattern at our home field, everything was
better...

Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better
time to fly, is there any cure for the sun in the eyes problem?

[john smith]

> Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better
> time to fly, is there any cure for the sun in the eyes problem?

I carry slap-on vinyl sun shades.
Stick em where you want em.
One lets too much sun through, slap another over top of it.
AOPA gives them out free at the big shows.
Carry them in your flight bag.

"Don't leave home without them!"

[tony roberts]

Hi Kyle

I regress to my sailing days - tack left with the visor blocking the
sun/tack right with the visor blocking the sun.
It adds about 15% to the trip - but gets rid of the problem.

HTH

Tony

--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

In article >,
"Kyle Boatright" > wrote:

> We had gone to the NC beach for the weekend, and had to bug out because of
> the hurricane threat. I was worried that even if the hurricane didn't head
> right for us, that the outlying winds might get strong enough to prevent us
> from departing.
>
> Despite the winds Saturday evening (15 G 25), we had a smooth departure and
> headed back towards Atlanta, getting a smooth ride and a bit of a tailwind
> for most of the flight. The one thing we didn't have in our favor was
> visibility. We were literally headed right into the setting sun for 2 hours.
> The haze didn't help. I felt a little better about traffic avoidance because
> we were using flight following, but I had a truly miserable time looking
> into the sun for the whole flight, despite my sunglasses.
>
> By the time we neared home, my pupils had contracted to the point that I was
> having real problems getting them to open up enough to see the panel, which
> is flat black. On this evening, it was sea of black with a bright orange
> ball perched on top, and the instruments barely visible. As soon as we
> changed course to enter the pattern at our home field, everything was
> better...
>
> Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better
> time to fly, is there any cure for the sun in the eyes problem?




--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

[JohnH]

> Despite the winds Saturday evening (15 G 25), we had a smooth
> departure and headed back towards Atlanta

Was that you I saw going down the coast at an almost 45 degree crab? Very
windy!

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

john smith wrote:
>> Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better
>> time to fly, is there any cure for the sun in the eyes problem?
>
> I carry slap-on vinyl sun shades.
> Stick em where you want em.
> One lets too much sun through, slap another over top of it.


Back in the days when I was a courier pilot, I used to fly every afternoon out
of RDU to CLT... directly into the setting sun. I used the stick on vinyl sun
shades as well. They worked great and as he mentioned, you can double up for
extra protection.

IIRC, I got mine from Sporty's. They were about the size of an automobile sun
visor but of course they were nowhere near as thick. Here's a link to something
quite similar:

http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?DID=19&Product_ID=9526&CATID=96



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[Kyle Boatright]

"tony roberts" > wrote in message
news:nospam-946BFE.19081412092005@shawnews...
> Hi Kyle
>
> I regress to my sailing days - tack left with the visor blocking the
> sun/tack right with the visor blocking the sun.
> It adds about 15% to the trip - but gets rid of the problem.
>
> HTH
>
> Tony
>

Visors? We don't got no steenkin' visors... ;-)

I thought about the tacking thing, but our daylight window was getting tight
and I didn't have the time to spare.

KB

[John Clonts]

"Kyle Boatright" > wrote in message ...
> We had gone to the NC beach for the weekend, and had to bug out because of the hurricane threat. I was
> worried that even if the hurricane didn't head right for us, that the outlying winds might get strong enough
> to prevent us from departing.
>
> Despite the winds Saturday evening (15 G 25), we had a smooth departure and headed back towards Atlanta,
> getting a smooth ride and a bit of a tailwind for most of the flight. The one thing we didn't have in our
> favor was visibility. We were literally headed right into the setting sun for 2 hours. The haze didn't help.
> I felt a little better about traffic avoidance because we were using flight following, but I had a truly
> miserable time looking into the sun for the whole flight, despite my sunglasses.
>
> By the time we neared home, my pupils had contracted to the point that I was having real problems getting
> them to open up enough to see the panel, which is flat black. On this evening, it was sea of black with a
> bright orange ball perched on top, and the instruments barely visible. As soon as we changed course to enter
> the pattern at our home field, everything was better...
>
> Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better time to fly, is there any cure for
> the sun in the eyes problem?

I just hang a hang a spare map down from the visor, completely blocking the sun and the area around it....
--
Cheers,
John Clonts
Temple, Texas
N7NZ

[Kyle Boatright]

"JohnH" > wrote in message
...
>> Despite the winds Saturday evening (15 G 25), we had a smooth
>> departure and headed back towards Atlanta
>
> Was that you I saw going down the coast at an almost 45 degree crab? Very
> windy!

It was windy, but the only time I was over the beach was for about 2 minutes
over Ocean Isle, NC. After takeoff on 06, we made a 220 degree right turn
which took us out over the beach, then it was on couse (280 degrees) to
Atlanta...

Besides, it would take some SERIOUS wind to cause a 150 knot plus aircraft
to need a 45 degree crab, and you won't see me flying a 1600 lb tailwheel
airplane in that kind of wind.

KB

[tony roberts]

> Visors? We don't got no steenkin' visors... ;-)

Hi Kyle

We have a lot of sun here - I honestly couldn't fly without visors.

Tony

--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE

[Bob Gardner]

I know of two fatal midairs in which sun-blindness was a contributory
factor. No matter what the reported visibility, in those conditions it is
essentially zero. Only solution other than changing course is to get some
kind of opaque disc or sheet that can be stuck to the windscreen.

Way back (how long ago will become apparent), I was landing on 25 at Phoenix
near sundown. The controller kept telling me that the runway was dead ahead
and counting down the miles, but I couldn't see it. I asked him for the
localizer freq...but at that time PHX didn't have an ILS. I finally picked
up the threshold markings when I was right on top of them. Scary.

Bob Gardner

"Kyle Boatright" > wrote in message
...
> We had gone to the NC beach for the weekend, and had to bug out because of
> the hurricane threat. I was worried that even if the hurricane didn't head
> right for us, that the outlying winds might get strong enough to prevent
> us from departing.
>
> Despite the winds Saturday evening (15 G 25), we had a smooth departure
> and headed back towards Atlanta, getting a smooth ride and a bit of a
> tailwind for most of the flight. The one thing we didn't have in our
> favor was visibility. We were literally headed right into the setting sun
> for 2 hours. The haze didn't help. I felt a little better about traffic
> avoidance because we were using flight following, but I had a truly
> miserable time looking into the sun for the whole flight, despite my
> sunglasses.
>
> By the time we neared home, my pupils had contracted to the point that I
> was having real problems getting them to open up enough to see the panel,
> which is flat black. On this evening, it was sea of black with a bright
> orange ball perched on top, and the instruments barely visible. As soon
> as we changed course to enter the pattern at our home field, everything
> was better...
>
> Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better
> time to fly, is there any cure for the sun in the eyes problem?
>

[Blanche Cohen]

Mortimer Schnerd, RN > wrote:
>john smith wrote:
>> I carry slap-on vinyl sun shades.
>> Stick em where you want em.
>> One lets too much sun through, slap another over top of it.
>
>IIRC, I got mine from Sporty's. They were about the size of an automobile sun
>visor but of course they were nowhere near as thick. Here's a link to something
>quite similar:
>
>http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?DID=19&Product_ID=9526&CATID=96

Better yet -- stop by your local auto supply store and get a roll
of the stuff for about the same price or less. And you get to cut
to fit whatever you want.

[George Patterson]

Kyle Boatright wrote:
>
> Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better
> time to fly, is there any cure for the sun in the eyes problem?

I get my best results from the darkest flip-up plastic sunglasses (K-mart
specials). Won't work if you don't wear glasses, though. I adjust them so that
they shade everything above the dash. That way I can still see the instruments
and avionics clearly. I also wear a baseball cap all the time. The visor is
great, though it won't help when the sun is directly ahead and low. It also
won't help if you're studying to be a rapper. ;-)

George Patterson
Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a person to
use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Blanche Cohen wrote:

>> IIRC, I got mine from Sporty's. They were about the size of an automobile
>> sun visor but of course they were nowhere near as thick. Here's a link to
>> something quite similar:
>>
>> http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?DID=19&Product_ID=9526&CATID=96
>
> Better yet -- stop by your local auto supply store and get a roll
> of the stuff for about the same price or less. And you get to cut
> to fit whatever you want.


Is it really the same stuff? I'm envisioning the window film that auto stores
sell that normally is applied with soapy water and a squeegee. That's not the
same product. This stuff can be applied and reapplied thousands of times using
just your hand and a kleenex.

OTOH, if they sell the same stuff, I sure as hell wouldn't buy it again from
Sporty's. Everything they (Sporty's) sell is higher than hell, comparatively
speaking. Their only saving grace is excellent service and selection. But
price ain't their long suit....



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

[Blanche Cohen]

Mortimer Schnerd, RN > wrote:
>> Better yet -- stop by your local auto supply store and get a roll
>> of the stuff for about the same price or less. And you get to cut
>> to fit whatever you want.
>
>Is it really the same stuff? I'm envisioning the window film that auto stores
>sell that normally is applied with soapy water and a squeegee. That's not the
>same product. This stuff can be applied and reapplied thousands of times using
>just your hand and a kleenex.

The window film at the auto stores is about 3-5 mil thick. And yes, I
apply it by cleaning the window and slapping it on wherever. It's
probably not as thick as the Sporty's stuff, but I've been using the
same 2-3 pieces for about 4 years now with no problems.

And every once in a while, I even clean the film.

[Dylan Smith]

On 2005-09-13, Kyle Boatright > wrote:
> Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better
> time to fly, is there any cure for the sun in the eyes problem?

On a recent flight to Oakland, I had to make do with flying an hour with
my hand blocking the sun, or moving my head so the aircraft structure
blocked the sun. Once in the Oakland area, I had to fly the ILS on a
beautiful clear sunny evening - I couldn't see the airport until around
2 miles out. Everyone else (from the airlines to other light GA pilots)
were telling ATC they couldn't see $FOO due to the sun being in their
eyes.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

[Jay Somerset]

On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 02:08:36 GMT, tony roberts > wrote:

> Hi Kyle
>
> I regress to my sailing days - tack left with the visor blocking the
> sun/tack right with the visor blocking the sun.
> It adds about 15% to the trip - but gets rid of the problem.

Ah, but landing -- tht is the real test. I'd just love to see you touch
down in that left or right "tack". :-)

>
> HTH
>
> Tony
>
> --
>
> Tony Roberts
> PP-ASEL
> VFR OTT
> Night
> Cessna 172H C-GICE
>
> In article >,
> "Kyle Boatright" > wrote:
>
> > We had gone to the NC beach for the weekend, and had to bug out because of
> > the hurricane threat. I was worried that even if the hurricane didn't head
> > right for us, that the outlying winds might get strong enough to prevent us
> > from departing.
> >
> > Despite the winds Saturday evening (15 G 25), we had a smooth departure and
> > headed back towards Atlanta, getting a smooth ride and a bit of a tailwind
> > for most of the flight. The one thing we didn't have in our favor was
> > visibility. We were literally headed right into the setting sun for 2 hours.
> > The haze didn't help. I felt a little better about traffic avoidance because
> > we were using flight following, but I had a truly miserable time looking
> > into the sun for the whole flight, despite my sunglasses.
> >
> > By the time we neared home, my pupils had contracted to the point that I was
> > having real problems getting them to open up enough to see the panel, which
> > is flat black. On this evening, it was sea of black with a bright orange
> > ball perched on top, and the instruments barely visible. As soon as we
> > changed course to enter the pattern at our home field, everything was
> > better...
> >
> > Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better
> > time to fly, is there any cure for the sun in the eyes problem?

--
Jay.
(remove dashes for legal email address)

[Jay Somerset]

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005 20:31:26 -0700, "Bob Gardner" >
wrote:

> I know of two fatal midairs in which sun-blindness was a contributory
> factor. No matter what the reported visibility, in those conditions it is
> essentially zero. Only solution other than changing course is to get some
> kind of opaque disc or sheet that can be stuck to the windscreen.
>
> Way back (how long ago will become apparent), I was landing on 25 at Phoenix
> near sundown. The controller kept telling me that the runway was dead ahead
> and counting down the miles, but I couldn't see it. I asked him for the
> localizer freq...but at that time PHX didn't have an ILS. I finally picked
> up the threshold markings when I was right on top of them. Scary.

Ever tried a "blind" touchdown? Where you can't see the runway even over
the threshold because of the sun?

It can be done if you treat it as a "glassy water landing" like a seaplane,
and set up the proper deck angle with power and fly the plane onto the
runway (water).


>
> Bob Gardner
>
> "Kyle Boatright" > wrote in message
> ...
> > We had gone to the NC beach for the weekend, and had to bug out because of
> > the hurricane threat. I was worried that even if the hurricane didn't head
> > right for us, that the outlying winds might get strong enough to prevent
> > us from departing.
> >
> > Despite the winds Saturday evening (15 G 25), we had a smooth departure
> > and headed back towards Atlanta, getting a smooth ride and a bit of a
> > tailwind for most of the flight. The one thing we didn't have in our
> > favor was visibility. We were literally headed right into the setting sun
> > for 2 hours. The haze didn't help. I felt a little better about traffic
> > avoidance because we were using flight following, but I had a truly
> > miserable time looking into the sun for the whole flight, despite my
> > sunglasses.
> >
> > By the time we neared home, my pupils had contracted to the point that I
> > was having real problems getting them to open up enough to see the panel,
> > which is flat black. On this evening, it was sea of black with a bright
> > orange ball perched on top, and the instruments barely visible. As soon
> > as we changed course to enter the pattern at our home field, everything
> > was better...
> >
> > Other than picking a course that isn't into the sun, or choosing a better
> > time to fly, is there any cure for the sun in the eyes problem?
> >
>

--
Jay.
(remove dashes for legal email address)

[tony roberts]

> Ah, but landing -- tht is the real test. I'd just love to see you touch
> down in that left or right "tack". :-)

Nah - then I just close my eyes :)

Tony

--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Cessna 172H C-GICE