Which sun glasses

[Bruce Austin]

Hi guys, I'm pretty new to the hobby and on those lovely sunny days, I find that I lose the plane for 4or 5 seconds when flying across the sun.

I am used to polarised glasses when I am fly fishing, but then I am not staring at the sun.

I use the same polarised glasses when flying, but get dazzled!!

Has anybody got any BRIGHT ideas???

Sorry if this is already addressed on an existing thread. I did search, but came up blank.

Go With the Flow

Bruce

[jrman]

Close one eye as you fly near/past the sun. When you're past reopen it and it won't have been affected by the sun.

[Ernie]

Hi Bruce, If you can possibly manage, keep the sun behind you. On a similar theme, don't get too far away, especially downwind, and of course, keep away from trees, because they move into the path of model aircraft

I have seen guys using the tranny to shield their eyes, but golden rule is the behind bit

ernie

[Roger 2]

My basic answer is dont ever fly though the sun, if you do, as above close one eye.

The only other option we used to use, was a large sheet of exposed X-ray film or the like on a pole, you stand so that if say you are landing through the sun, when you turn that way the film filters the bright light and you are not blinded.

Cheers

Roger

[avtur]

I'll offer another vote for 'elimination' rather than 'control of the flying across the sun hazard.

I should have known much better but I allowed myself to get slightly distracted and then disoriented while flying on a beach and flew across the sun causing me to dump the model in twelve inches of sea water; it was a dainty little Micro-Stik so didn't stand a chance poor thing !!!

I fly wearing a cap all the time, I wear glasses which are reactions type but of course they couldn't possible react quick enough to cope with direct sun.

I do a lot of beach flying and I don't fly float planes, so for me it's all about awareness of the sun and any prevailing wind.

[Stevo]

"I fly wearing a cap all the time, I wear glasses which are reactions type but of course they couldn't possible react quick enough to cope with direct sun"

Exactly as I do... they do not react quick enough! What we need is something like the LCD welding masks, that react in milliseconds of an arc being struck.

In short, I don't think there is a solution, as if the glasses are dark enough to allow you to gain sight of the aircraft as it flies past the sun, they will be too dark for elsewhere.

Towards the end of the evening, the sun sets almost directly in front of us. Before this happens, we fly short circuits to the right. As it gets to the horizon, we now fly above and get 20 mins of flying in.

This does have its advantages - the chances of other flyers being around this late at night is almost nil, and - just picture this - a Spacewalker on a Saito 72, or a DVII with a laser 70, put-put-putting along with a red sunset.

Can't beat it...

Edited By Stevo on 16/03/2014 17:52:06

[Toni Reynaud]

Another vote for "Close one eye as you fly near/past the sun. " Sometimes it's hard to not fly near the sun because of flying field and wind limitations.

[Stevo]

OK Toni & Co. I'll give that a try....!!

[john melia 1]

Is there any sunglasses that can be worn over regular glasses , like the wrap around cool looking ones that I cant wear , becausemof my glasses

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Posted by john melia 1 on 16/03/2014 21:34:25:

Is there any sunglasses that can be worn over regular glasses , like the wrap around cool looking ones that I cant wear , becausemof my glasses

welding goggles

[Richard Parnham]

Just a note re polarised sun glasses be careful because some LCD transmitter screens will not be visible. Great for flying though

[john melia 1]

Posted by john stones 1 on 16/03/2014 21:39:21:

Posted by john melia 1 on 16/03/2014 21:34:25:

Is there any sunglasses that can be worn over regular glasses , like the wrap around cool looking ones that I cant wear , becausemof my glasses

welding goggles

Cheeaz john , never thought about them

[Joe Beavis]

I bought some cheap Boots trad style sunglasses, and just put them on in addition to the pebble lenses. Then the arms fell off, so I made some clips and attached them to the normal glasses for flying.

[Old Geezer]

Years ago Solent Sailplanes used ro sell a rectangle of "smoked" plastic that clipped onto your aerial to look through as you fly across the sun - worked really well but would be impractical these days with the 2.4 gig aerial.

These days if I have to fly acros the sun I just hold the Tx up as a shield just as the plane crosses the sun - it's out of sight only for a fraction of a second. Works for me.

[TheFlyingCrust]

jrman, I love those old wives tales. If you don't believe me try this. In a dull light flash a small torch in one eye of a friend/partner/significant-other (with their permission and not too bright though) whilst watching the reaction of the pupil in the other. It should close rapidly. The part of the brain which controls this does the same to both eyes equally - unless there is some other issue.

Bruce, I use Oakley glasses. Expensive but very good.

Ian

[AVC]

Flying Crust, these are not old wives tales. I've used the system of closing one eye when flying in the sun, and opening it and closing the other, and it works (I used to fly in the south of Spain, where the sun is much more aggressive that here in UK).

It's not about the pupil closing, it's about the "footprint" that the sun leaves in the back of the eye, which you can see for many seconds or event minutes after, and that hides any other thing in your visual field. If you close one eye, the sun won't leave any "mark", and even if it's pupil was contracted as the other eye looked at the sun, it became rapidly bigger as you open it and close the "damaged" eye.

You can test it using any light in the ceiling of your house.

In any case, the best advise is not to fly by the sun, but if it can't be avoided, try and climb or dive the model a bit, to avoid crossing the sun and minimize the effects. And of course, sun glasses.

Edited By Alejandro Valle Carrillo on 17/03/2014 00:04:37

[TheFlyingCrust]

I stand corrected - even if it doesn't work for me

Ian.

[John Olsen 1]

We get that problem at our strip, since the only workable layout puts the strip to the North of the pits etc. (The North being where the sun hangs out in this part of the world, at least when not behind clouds.) So depending on the time of day there is quite commonly a part of the circuit where you don't want to go. Sometime if there are only a few of us about we modify the circuit so you stay at one end and don't go past the sun. But otherwise, the close one eye trick does work for me.

I don't think the welding goggles would work, I have a set and when they trigger you would not be able to see the model...you would probably only see the sun. They will trigger on bright sunlight, but they don't much care what direction the bright light is coming from, so when I am welding at the doorway of my shed with the bright sunlight outside they have a tendency to go dark just when you didn't need it.

Photochromic sunglasses would have the same problem, they would not be able to tell that you were looking straight at the sun. So the darkness would be the same as when you are looking a bit away from the sun, so either too much for one or not enough for the other.

John

[Bruce Austin]

Bruce here again to say thanks to all for all those words of wisdom. Some very clever but simple ideas out there.

Gurth Scriven made mention of a "smoked plastic" arrangement.

I also liked the idea of shading with the TX.

I am wondering about a Smoked plastic sheet fixed to the TX

I wonder where we could find the sheet.

Any ideas out there

Go With the Flow

Bruce

[Josip Vrandecic -Mes]

Hi Bruce , Please, before each flight, certainly estimate the area of a flight, the horizon and the height of the sun ,be sure to use a sunglasses(Ray-Ban) , cap (with visor) ....and finally as jrman says : ''Close one eye as you fly near/past the sun''.........The rest is in God's hand....

Have fun

Joe

Edited By Josip Vrandecic -Mes on 17/03/2014 21:39:43

Edited By Josip Vrandecic -Mes on 17/03/2014 21:41:28

[Chuck Plains]

Posted by john melia 1 on 16/03/2014 21:34:25:

Is there any sunglasses that can be worn over regular glasses , like the wrap around cool looking ones that I cant wear , becausemof my glasses

I have been using OverXcast overglasses since last year and can recommend them as effective, comfortable and not too goofy looking. They're polarised and come in grey or brown tint and I reckon they're worth the £25-ish inclusive. I can't find them cheaper in the UK. Either on eBay or online elsewhere, the best price seems to be the same.

In this *Ebay Link* you can see that they are available in large and medium (and possibly one in between I saw elsewhere). I think it has something to do with the width of your own glasses.

Hope that helps.

A more expensive alternative is modelglasses.com The link is to their Innovation Plus glasses which have a removable prescription lens clip inside. They are moderately costly at £90 including single vision lenses, but they look great and are fully warrantied.

[john melia 1]

Thanks chuck

[adrian lawrence 1]

I use the Innovation plus glasses with a prescription lens, and thoroughly recommend them. It's virtually impossible to avoid the sun in the afternoon at our field. But since getting these sunglasses I have not had a problem.

[Chuck Plains]

Good to hear that Adrian. I am considering moving up to the Innovations too. £114 for me with bifocals. Otherwise I won't be able to see what I'm doing after proving that I don't 'know' what I'm doing!! Er, if you see what I mean.

Edited By Chuck Plains on 18/03/2014 21:29:20

[Lee Smalley]

buy some Model glasses (i use nimbus) and wear a cap, they come with multiple lenses you can switch out depending on the day, 40 quid very very well spent