Sun Protection While Soaring - UPF 50+ Clothing

Coolibar offers a wide range of garment types and fashions.

A narrower range of SPF 50 garments are available from Orvis, REI, L.L.Bean, EMS at the like. In some cases, the prices are much lower.

I just picked up a SPF 50 collared shirt at Columbia Outlet store for $35.

Best option, though expensive, would be a canopy with the UV screen built in.

Earlier in this thread someone reported that he'd used a UV meter to
check various canopies and found that they blocked UV radiation.Â* He
also stated that other tests showed the same results.

My guess is that the most sun exposure occurs before flying, you know,
all that time spent standing around in the sun.Â* All of that sunscreen
and those solar protective garments are really great protection while
you're standing around or working in the sun.Â* I doubt they cause any
harm during flight, either.

On 4/19/2019 12:40 PM, wrote:
Best option, though expensive, would be a canopy with the UV screen built in.

The following info has been obtained from various, readily available sources.
1) Skin Cancer rates among the Pilot Population are 50% higher than the general population.
2) Our exposure to UV Radiation, a leading cause of Skin Cancer, increases by 3% to 5% for each 1,000 ft of altitude gain. Just wonderful news for high altitude work.

My Dad, who flew from 1942 to 2015, died from Melanoma which first developed on his chest. Dad was never one to go around without a shirt on but did typically wear very thin shirts while flying and soaring. Draw your own conclusions. In early 2016 I had all of the glass in my 172 replaced with green tint with the built-in UV screen. The cabin is more comfortable and safer as well.

--
Dan, 5J

Sierra Trading Post is the cheapest place I've found to go get SPF (usually built for fishing) clothing.

On Friday, April 19, 2019 at 3:30:55 PM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
Earlier in this thread someone reported that he'd used a UV meter to
check various canopies and found that they blocked UV radiation.Â* He
also stated that other tests showed the same results.

My guess is that the most sun exposure occurs before flying, you know,
all that time spent standing around in the sun.Â* All of that sunscreen
and those solar protective garments are really great protection while
you're standing around or working in the sun.Â* I doubt they cause any
harm during flight, either.

On 4/19/2019 12:40 PM, wrote:
Best option, though expensive, would be a canopy with the UV screen built in.

The following info has been obtained from various, readily available sources.
1) Skin Cancer rates among the Pilot Population are 50% higher than the general population.
2) Our exposure to UV Radiation, a leading cause of Skin Cancer, increases by 3% to 5% for each 1,000 ft of altitude gain. Just wonderful news for high altitude work.

My Dad, who flew from 1942 to 2015, died from Melanoma which first developed on his chest. Dad was never one to go around without a shirt on but did typically wear very thin shirts while flying and soaring. Draw your own conclusions. In early 2016 I had all of the glass in my 172 replaced with green tint with the built-in UV screen. The cabin is more comfortable and safer as well.

--
Dan, 5J

Isn't there a time component too. The amount of UV under a canopy might be pretty low but you are continuously exposed to it for hours upon hours. That to me seems like it will make the impact on your skin from what would normally be considered a low exposure much higher. Personally I use 70+ sunscreen, I've heard that anything over ~35 is overkill but I like to be safe and don't want to reapply it every couple of hours. I would love to wear long sleeves but I am in the Southwest US and it gets HOT, even at reasonably high altitudes.

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.

I can't imagine that blue tint helps much. Blue-violet light is just slightly less energetic than UVA light. Grey tint blocks all visible colors by essentially the same amount, and maybe UV too, but it would have to be measured.

Sunscreen all the time is a good idea.

Sun screen helps you to avoid superficial sun burn, but it doesn't do anything against UVA and the subsequent skin cancer. The only thing which helps against skin cancer is clothing.

On Sunday, April 21, 2019 at 1:38:36 AM UTC-6, Tango Whisky wrote:
Sun screen helps you to avoid superficial sun burn, but it doesn't do anything against UVA and the subsequent skin cancer. The only thing which helps against skin cancer is clothing.

That is not correct. Quality sunscreen protects against UVA and UVB.

On Sunday, April 21, 2019 at 8:46:13 AM UTC-5, Richard DalCanto wrote:
On Sunday, April 21, 2019 at 1:38:36 AM UTC-6, Tango Whisky wrote:
Sun screen helps you to avoid superficial sun burn, but it doesn't do anything against UVA and the subsequent skin cancer. The only thing which helps against skin cancer is clothing.

That is not correct. Quality sunscreen protects against UVA and UVB.

There is another factor here making the issue even more complicated. It seems there are two basic types of sun screen, chemical and mineral. There is considerable debate as to if some of the ingredients in the chemical types may cause other health issues. There is a lot of info on line about this. I started using a mineral type this season, which can be hard to find. It is white and stays that way making you look like a ghost.

Terry