Flying during a Solar Eclipse

Ok - here is a question for the FAR experts:
On August 21, there will be a total solar eclipse occurring - among other places - over South Carolina. The duration of the total eclipse is around 2min 35 seconds.
Is this considered night time? Can I fly a glider under VFR-daytime rules during this time?

Uli
'AS'

On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 1:59:24 PM UTC-4, AS wrote:
Ok - here is a question for the FAR experts:
On August 21, there will be a total solar eclipse occurring - among other places - over South Carolina. The duration of the total eclipse is around 2min 35 seconds.
Is this considered night time? Can I fly a glider under VFR-daytime rules during this time?

Uli
'AS'

If it turns out to be a clear day but illegal to fly, I invite y'all to come to KSPA's D-Hangar. It has so many holes in the roof acting as pin hole cameras, we should be able to follow an image of the eclipse on the hangar-floor without messing up ones eyes. ;-)

Uli
'AS'

Well, its not night so why not?

On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 1:13:18 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Well, its not night so why not?

Wouldn't the US FAA FARs consider flying during a total eclipse, flight into known IMC, assuming loss of sunlight is below VFR minimums?

14 CFR Part 1.1
"Night means the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the Air Almanac, converted to local time."

14 CFR Part 1.1
"Night means the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the Air Almanac, converted to local time."

On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 3:18:14 PM UTC-5, Sierra Whiskey wrote:
14 CFR Part 1.1
"Night means the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the Air Almanac, converted to local time."

SW, Don't think it's relevant in this case. That's the FAR definition of "night/day time". Just guessing that a total eclipse might put a pilot into a known IMC condition. The sun is a meteorologic player, that's how I would tie it into. Since you can see the stars and plants during the event, it must get pretty dark. Could kill lift for awhile if soaring.

It doesn't get that dark.

On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 4:05:44 PM UTC-5, Duster wrote:
On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 3:18:14 PM UTC-5, Sierra Whiskey wrote:
14 CFR Part 1.1
"Night means the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the Air Almanac, converted to local time."

SW, Don't think it's relevant in this case. That's the FAR definition of "night/day time". Just guessing that a total eclipse might put a pilot into a known IMC condition. The sun is a meteorologic player, that's how I would tie it into. Since you can see the stars and plants during the event, it must get pretty dark. Could kill lift for awhile if soaring.

Duster, VFR minimums do not specify "sun shining". It is ceiling and visibility that defines VFR or IMC. You do not need to have an instrument rating to fly at night. "Night" is defined as SW pointed out, and does not care if the sun is hiding behind the moon or not. It is sun position relative to the horizon. Totality in Uli's area will be about two and a half minutes. Start to end, it will be, I believe, more than an hour. Get out your Gren Siebels books. Might have been Jim Smiley that did it long ago. He got as high as he could before, flew min sink and kept looking for lift (it was still there), and thermalled again on the other side of the eclipse.

Steve Leonard

On Thu, 06 Jul 2017 14:31:45 -0700, karengeisinger95 wrote:

It doesn't get that dark.

I saw the 1999 eclipse from close to the Danube near Domsod, i.e. the
northern edge of where the current WGC is being flown.

From memory, most of the partial period was fairly light, with it only
getting darkish for a short time either side of totality. Its difficult
to say how dark totality was because I was more interested in looking at
the Baily's Beads and the light show put on by the sun's corona sticking
out past the moon.

My guess would be that reading your instruments may be quite hard but
that keeping a correct attitude should be easier: looking round during
totality I saw that the horizon was lit up with a weird orange glow on
all sides. That should make a good reference if you're in the air, but
why would you be flying if you've never experienced an eclipse? Second
one maybe, but IMO you should experience at least from one ground level
in the open.

If you've never seen a good eclipse, get yourself onto the centre of the
line of totality with a set of cheap eclipse glasses and a filter for
your camera(mine both had cardboard frames and 'lenses' of thin, silvered
mylar) and enjoy totality on the ground. Look for:

- Baily's Beads
- the sun's corona
- the 360 degree orange horizon
- the birds getting confused and roosting

and outside totality:

- crescent-shaped sunlight projections on the ground under trees etc
- 'waves' of interference effects crossing featureless concrete or
tarmac areas

If it gets cloudy, don't despair: the clouds can clear as the eclipse
approaches. I was stayting oin Szeged for it. We woke up to find solid
overcase, saw that it looked brighter toward Bala and the Danube, hopped
in the car and went. We ended up just east of the Danube and smack on the
centre line of totality under a cloudless sky. Perfection.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
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