Sun Protection While Soaring - UPF 50+ Clothing

On Friday, April 19, 2019 at 10:29:27 PM UTC-6, wrote:
The meter was designed to check the intensity in the Ulta Violet range of the spectrum. The professor gave me a rather detail lesson of radiation energy in the IR thru UV section of the ‘spectrum’ and it’s ability to transit a medium. He stated that the UV amount was insignificant in the hundreths (sp) of a percent and the meter confirmed it. I could differentiate no difference in value between canopies. UV is very reflective, even off concrete. Angle of sun , time of day, winter/ summer made a big difference.
No harm in doing your own research, but can anyone recall landing with a sunburn. I wonder if standing out on the grid waiting allows one to be expose to high level of reflected UV from all the polish wings. A hat may not be enough. I need to do some more sampling.

R

Interesting. My son has transition glasses, which don't transition/turn dark in his car. However, he still got a blistering sunburn on his arm when he drove from Utah to California last August to start his Sophomore year (windows up). Does the plastic canopy protect more than auto glass? Thanks,
Rick

On Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 1:55:13 PM UTC-4, Richard DalCanto wrote:
On Friday, April 19, 2019 at 10:29:27 PM UTC-6, wrote:
The meter was designed to check the intensity in the Ulta Violet range of the spectrum. The professor gave me a rather detail lesson of radiation energy in the IR thru UV section of the ‘spectrum’ and it’s ability to transit a medium. He stated that the UV amount was insignificant in the hundreths (sp) of a percent and the meter confirmed it. I could differentiate no difference in value between canopies. UV is very reflective, even off concrete. Angle of sun , time of day, winter/ summer made a big difference.
No harm in doing your own research, but can anyone recall landing with a sunburn. I wonder if standing out on the grid waiting allows one to be expose to high level of reflected UV from all the polish wings. A hat may not be enough. I need to do some more sampling.

R

Interesting. My son has transition glasses, which don't transition/turn dark in his car. However, he still got a blistering sunburn on his arm when he drove from Utah to California last August to start his Sophomore year (windows up). Does the plastic canopy protect more than auto glass? Thanks,
Rick

windshield likely tinted, side windows, not.

On Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 11:56:36 AM UTC-6, Dan Daly wrote:
On Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 1:55:13 PM UTC-4, Richard DalCanto wrote:
On Friday, April 19, 2019 at 10:29:27 PM UTC-6, wrote:
The meter was designed to check the intensity in the Ulta Violet range of the spectrum. The professor gave me a rather detail lesson of radiation energy in the IR thru UV section of the ‘spectrum’ and it’s ability to transit a medium. He stated that the UV amount was insignificant in the hundreths (sp) of a percent and the meter confirmed it. I could differentiate no difference in value between canopies. UV is very reflective, even off concrete. Angle of sun , time of day, winter/ summer made a big difference.
No harm in doing your own research, but can anyone recall landing with a sunburn. I wonder if standing out on the grid waiting allows one to be expose to high level of reflected UV from all the polish wings. A hat may not be enough. I need to do some more sampling.

R

Interesting. My son has transition glasses, which don't transition/turn dark in his car. However, he still got a blistering sunburn on his arm when he drove from Utah to California last August to start his Sophomore year (windows up). Does the plastic canopy protect more than auto glass? Thanks,
Rick

windshield likely tinted, side windows, not.

But is the tinting the thing that blocks UV, or the glass itself? The side windows of the car still block enough that his glasses don't darken inside the car, despite the ability to get a sunburn.

Does the plastic canopy protect more than auto glass? Thanks,
Rick

windshield likely tinted, side windows, not.

But is the tinting the thing that blocks UV, or the glass itself? The side windows of the car still block enough that his glasses don't darken inside the car, despite the ability to get a sunburn.

The glasses probably only respond to UVB (which glass blocks). Your skin tans and burns in response to UVA (which glass doesn't block enough of).

As to getting sunburn inside an acrylic-windowed cockpit, I guess that the UVA cutoff from acrylic that I specified above is more of an 'industry average' - some formulas let through more than others - and that in combination with the amount of time flying was enough to burn skin. They definitely make acrylics which are better at transmitting UV than the standard. Back when the 172 was designed, I doubt whether UVA blocking was a design requirement.

On Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 11:55:13 AM UTC-6, Richard DalCanto wrote:
On Friday, April 19, 2019 at 10:29:27 PM UTC-6, wrote:
The meter was designed to check the intensity in the Ulta Violet range of the spectrum. The professor gave me a rather detail lesson of radiation energy in the IR thru UV section of the ‘spectrum’ and it’s ability to transit a medium. He stated that the UV amount was insignificant in the hundreths (sp) of a percent and the meter confirmed it. I could differentiate no difference in value between canopies. UV is very reflective, even off concrete. Angle of sun , time of day, winter/ summer made a big difference.
No harm in doing your own research, but can anyone recall landing with a sunburn. I wonder if standing out on the grid waiting allows one to be expose to high level of reflected UV from all the polish wings. A hat may not be enough. I need to do some more sampling.

R

Interesting. My son has transition glasses, which don't transition/turn dark in his car. However, he still got a blistering sunburn on his arm when he drove from Utah to California last August to start his Sophomore year (windows up). Does the plastic canopy protect more than auto glass? Thanks,
Rick

I should also add that my dad would get sunburned on the left side of his face and has sun damage on that side from years of flying his Cessna 421. Do glider canopies offer more protection than the windshield in a Cessna?