On Friday, April 19, 2019 at 8:44:07 AM UTC-6, JDS wrote:
While looking at the UV damage done to the gelcoat on my glider, it reminds me how much UV radiation we are exposed to while soaring. Particularly out west!

Coolibar (no affilation) is in the Sun Protection Clothing business. Take a look at their website. They are making some great products with innovative materials.

I particularly like their Andros Shirt and fingerless long gloves.
Both with UPF50+ protection.

I did a little more reading. UVA penetrates deeper into the second layer of the skin. It is present year round, and penetrates clouds and glass windows (don’t know about plastic canopies). It causes wrinkles and premature aging of the skin, and skin cancer. UVB is stronger during the summer, penetrates the top layer of the skin, and causes sunburns, DNA damage, and skin cancer. It does not penetrate glass as much. So if the plastic canopies in gliders stop UVB, but no A, you will not get burned, but you will still get sun damage to your skin. I looked into some UV meters on Amazon, but it is unclear how accurate these meters actually are. Personally, for now, I will continue to use sun screen in the glider, and protective clothing, to be sure I block UVA which might be getting through the canopy.