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Tinted canopies



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 15th 18, 04:02 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Gerry Simpson
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Default Tinted canopies

What has been the experience among the readers of this sight with respect to colorless or blue tinted canopies and perception changes. For example, do haze domes look essentially the same? Do crops and ground features appear altered? It was conveyed to me from a reasonably knowledgeable source that Sebastian Kawa will not fly with a tinted canopy for these reasons. Also, how much hazardous UV protection is actually afforded by blue tint?
  #2  
Old September 15th 18, 05:08 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Tim Taylor
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Default Tinted canopies

It depends on where you fly. In the parts of the world with high UV and strong watts/meter squared flux I would get blue or solar gray. Most of Poland is very far north and not that hot, so a clear canopy is tolerable there.. I have not seen any difference in ability to see weather or ground conditions with different canopy tints. The sunglasses you wear has a much greater impact. In very hot and strong sunlight locations the tint of the canopy makes a huge difference in cockpit temperature and pilot comfort.
  #3  
Old September 15th 18, 09:14 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Tinted canopies

A good quality clear canopy already filters out a lot of UV and a blue tinted one not much more, in any at all. They are blue to filter out some of the infra-red end of the spectrum.

Several years ago in response to a similar ras thread a friend and I in a Dul compared looking out of a blue canopy versus looking out through the clear view with and without various sunglasses and we found that the tint made no discernible difference to how things looked through the sunglasses. Also, and counter-intuitively, we thought cloud definition was better looking through the canopy than through the clear view panel.

Photographs taken through the canopy had a definite slight bluish tinge.
  #4  
Old September 15th 18, 01:54 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Tinted canopies

Q13: What is the new SC- (Solar Control) Material?
A: The following is a Technical Bulletin from Polycast:
Enhanced Protection from Ultraviolet "A" radiation
UVA exposure can increase the risk of skin cancer and will damage most organic materials. Standard plastic transparencies block practically all UVB and about 80% of UVA rays. Polycast SC colors block all of the UV and 99% of all UVA rays. The harm caused by UV can be reduced by a factor of 20, when SC products are compared to standard acrylic materials.

UV radiation intensely increases approximately 5% with every 1000 ft of altitude while traditional plastic transparencies provide adequate UV protection at sea level it is insufficient at higher altitudes. Pilots, passengers and interior materials may be exposed to periods of high UVA radiation without the protection offered by Polycast SCTM.
Solar Energy Control
For small and medium-sized aircraft and helicopters, the interior heat build up is a serious problem when not in flight. Polycast SCTM colors block out a significant portion of the Near-Infrared Radiation (NIR); this results in less heat. This benefit is gained without sacrificing Visible Light Transmission (VLT), compared to standard materials. For a given VLT, Polycast SCTM colors reduce the NIR radiation (solar energy heat) that penetrates the aircraft by about 30%.
Benefits are synergistic
Damage to aircraft interiors results from periods of inactivity while parked in the sun. The combination of UV radiation (*even at sea level) and high temperatures accelerate the rate of damage to all nonmetallic materials inside the aircraft. The rate of photochemical degradation of organic materials exposed to UV radiation is approximately doubled with every 18°F temperature increase. Keeping the temperatures lower and the UV out will increase the service life of interior components.
  #5  
Old September 15th 18, 02:14 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Tinted canopies

The above information was copied from Great Lakes Aero Plastics website. They manufacture replacement glass for many light aircraft and are the OEM supplier for Cirrus Aircraft. A couple of years ago I replaced the green tinted glass in my 172 with Great Lakes Solar Control green tinted glass. Immediately I noticed a difference in cabin temperature when climbing back into the airplane after a meal during our $100 hamburger runs. The airplane didn’t feel like an oven anymore.

I remember seeing ads in Soaring magazine some time ago where some outfit was marketing glider canopies with UV protection. Given the exposure to UV that you would experience sitting under that canopy, I would think that UV protection would be highly desirable if you can get it.

My Dad did a lot more soaring than I ever did. He did a fair amount of high altitude work, wave flights and four to five hour duration flights. While he was never one to go around without a shirt on, he often flew wearing thin shirts during the summer months. I mention this because he contracted Melanoma in the center of his chest and succumbed to it a few years later. He did a lot of powered flight as well, from 1942 to 2015, when he died.

I’ve read somewhere that the incidence of skin cancer among the pilot population is something like 50% greater than the general population. I believe this topic merits consideration.

As for the original question, I don’t believe that the shade of tint makes much difference. You need to get some UV protection in your glass for whatever color tint you select.
  #6  
Old September 15th 18, 03:09 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Mike Schumann[_2_]
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Default Tinted canopies

My Phoenix Motorglider has a tinted canopy. It lets me fly without sunglasses so I can wear narrow reading glasses so I can read the instruments when I look down.

Another advantage is it makes it much easier to read my iPad, iPhone, and other electronic instruments vs being in direct sunlight.
  #7  
Old September 16th 18, 07:00 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Ben Hirashima
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Default Tinted canopies

Does anyone wear sunglasses with a tinted canopy? I wear prescription sunglasses while flying, and while the idea of a tinted canopy appeals to me, the thought of having to switch to regular glasses when getting in the cockpit is a bit of a turn-off.
  #8  
Old September 16th 18, 07:42 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Tinted canopies

I always wear varifocal sunglasses under a tinted canopy. Never crossed my mind not to. The blue canopy tint is not visible when flying and is simply designed to reduce direct heating a little bit not to enhance and protect eyesight like good lenses.
  #9  
Old September 16th 18, 08:08 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Mike the Strike
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Default Tinted canopies

My last two gliders (Discus 2 and Ventus 2) had tinted canopies. These are pretty much essential for flying in the desert southwest of the USA.

I wear custom bifocal sunglasses that were tinted a little less than normal for use in the glider and when driving. They offer minor correction for my distance vision and are optimized to read the instrument panel.

Mike
  #10  
Old September 16th 18, 01:21 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Tinted canopies

I had a glider with a tinted canopy and at the time had auto tint glasses. Walk around in the sun with dark tinted glasses close the canopy and the lenses would lighten up. Not a fan of auto tint glasses anymore but it that situation it worked.
 




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