wrote:
Greg Arnold wrote:
Do older canopies also protect against UV, or is it only the newer ones?

I haven't tested a variety of canopies, but based on the data sheets
from acrylic manufacturers, and comments by canopy and sailplane
manufacturers, I'd expect even older canopies (mine is 12 years old) to
offer plenty of protection. Acrylic that transmits UVB is more expensive
than the ordinary kind, so there would be little reason to use it.

Maybe you could do this test on some of older canopies at your
gliderport?

Some older ones do, some don't. That's what we found by testing a
variety of gliders at our gliderport.

Do you recall which gliders didn't offer as much protection, and how you
tested the canopies?

So, I wouldn't suggest resting
easy until you've tested your own canopy.

And at $30 or less for a UV Index meter, it'd be a cheap purchase for a
club to make. You only need to check each canopy once! And, if anyone
finds canopies that _don't_ pass the test, please tell us about it.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

"Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

"A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org