GrumpyGnome Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 Nice one toto. Flying in front of the sun always causes panic..... with experience, you either avoid it, and learn not to panic. As much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted April 20 Author Share Posted April 20 Hi Grumpy, At times I flew slightly shorter circuits to cut out the worst and as the day wore on, the sun wasn't so bad. I think a pair of prescription sun glasses will be the order of the day though sometime in the near future. With react to lightlenses. Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 Hi Toto Well done. If I may, one of the ways to reduce unwelcome surprises is to assess the flying site using the acronym SWEETS. This is covered in the BMFA Handbook or the Achievement Scheme Handbook that you will need to faniliarise yourself with in preparation for your A Test, or, as you are in Scotland, the SAA Bronze certificate requirements. The other way is to plan your flight before you get airborne so you know what you want to achieve, what issues you need to address e.g. which part of the circuit you might have to avoid the Sun. I suffer from short sight but I find that a pair of over glasses (yellow lens for poor visibility and brown lens for sunny days) is fine without needing prescription sun glasses with Reactolite features. The other advantage of these wrap around over glasses is they protect your eyes from the wind and stops them watering which causes a huge problem in seeing your aircraft! This is just an example of what I mean - https://www.rapideyewear.co.uk/61-over-glasses-sunglasses. There are many other suppliers. I would avoid polaroid lenses as I find I then cannot read the text on the Tx screen unless I rotate my head or Tx! Best regards Peter 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 56 minutes ago, toto said: Hi Grumpy, At times I flew slightly shorter circuits to cut out the worst and as the day wore on, the sun wasn't so bad. I think a pair of prescription sun glasses will be the order of the day though sometime in the near future. With react to lightlenses. Toto Sounds like you've had a grand day Toto and lots of success. You'll be coming on in leaps and bounds if the weather plays ball and you can get the hours in. Concur 100% on the idea of some prescription sunglasses. I wouldn't be without mine and have recently replaced my old Axis Ranger prescription sunglasses with some orange Zeiss lenses, which I believe are intended for shooting sports - they really make the model stand out against grey or blue skies, provide the necessary UV protection and are fully up to date with a new prescription. I did try having some of the BMFA recommended glasses, but they simply didn't work for me. The company was very good and gave me a full refund, but the original prescription from Vision Express just didn't do it for distance. The small independent optician that I used did a fantastic job and these current glasses are superb. I don't like flying with my varifocals, but for extremely bright sunny days I do have some clip on dark lenses that go over my normal glasses. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 I just have non-reactive prescription varifocals - I can't see Reactolite(tm) or similar actually reacting fast enough to he worth the extra cost.... but do most of my flying in sunglasses 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 You have Sun ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 Mostly, they just keep the rain out of my eyes..... and hide the disappointment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidan mcatamney Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 Toto, I'm wearing glasses since I was six years of age, I'm now 60 years of age. That time just flew in very quickly indeed. For years now I have been wearing these over sunglasses which just fit nicely over your ordinary glasses and are very comfortable to wear. You can see me here wearing them in the photograph. They are not expensive and protect your eyes from uv rays. I couldn't fly without them to be honest as I have very light sensitive eyes because of macular Degeneration. I think they are fantastic and I know you would love them. Just look up their website and you can order them on line. They are made by a company called Rapid Eyewear. Kind regards Aidan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 Well done toto You will discover that in strong low sunshine your ideas about the "normal" flying area have to take second place to making sure your plane is nowhere near being between you and the sun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Day Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Sun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Sunglasses are a very individual choice - what works for one will be hopeless for another. Spending lots of money on expensive named brands is also no guarantee of satisfaction. Beginnings of cataracts is also problem and whilst not perhaps noticeable in normal day to day doings, may start to give problems in bright, dazzle conditions. I'm short sighted and have worn specs since my teens. Over the years for flying I've tried overglasses, different colours, prescription sunglasses, polarised/non polarised and have never really found a completely satisfactory, one-fits-all solution. I find that the effectiveness of sunglasses for flying can differ considerably depending on the lighting conditions. What's OK for a bright and clear sunny summer's day, I find not helpful later towards evening and a lower but still bright sun. Similarly, a bright day with backlit thin cloud cover I can find difficult. Just my personal situation. I find it best to try to avoid sunglasses when flying, but if I do use them, then a pair with prescription lenses that are lightly grey coloured gives me the best results. I also have a quality pair of orange coloured clip-ons that I use with my normal specs when there's bright cloud cover and no direct sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Agree that the type and colour of sun glassesvthat work for you is a very personal issue. I find a comoletely blue sky very difficult when flying at the top of the aerobatic box i.e. 850-900 ft, as I just cannot make out the wing position. Alternatively, complete cloud cover allows the aircraft to appear as a sharp black silhouette and I much prefer that. You just have to find what works for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 Thanks for all the comments. I'll maybe try the less expensive cover overs to start and if they don't agree with me, then head down the more expensive route. One issue I have is that I wear hearing aids on both ears. So if I go down the cover all route, I'm going to have two pairs of glasses and a hearing aid behind both ears. My ears will be like decorated Christmas trees and itcoule get a bit uncomfortable at times. .... trial and error. Cheers for now Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Griff Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Dare I comment... I use those cool looking ( coolness or fashion are not part of my life ) reflective mirror like glasses when it's bright. From time to time I fly with the sun low in the sky, and it's directly into wind. Like with a car, a sun blind or sun visor is needed, that box thing I hold in my hands, flying above it or below it when it's used to "block" direct sunlight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 I had tears rolling down from one eye and that was just having the sun in my peripheral vision. It's something I'll get whenever I use this site. The runway runs north to south and at its worst from about one onwards. I've never hoped as much for a bit of cloud. However ..... at least I could fly. It was well worth it. Toto 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 For next week .... more of a plan required. I did have certain manoeuvres in mindfor this week ..... procedural turns ..... which I managed to get into the flights and some low flying aborted landing approaches. These were plannedbeforeI reached the site but I did not really pause before I took off before every flight to solidify the moves I was about to incorporate into the flight. I still found myself trying to plan once in the air. ...... no good as trying to plan / think once in the air whilst trying to focus on where you actually are at any given moment is not a great idea. I recognise that my mentor was actually trying to get me to think in advance but I was not truly concentrating on actually achieving this. Next week will be different. I won't take up as much time pretty much aimlessly flying around before trying to get straight into set pieces and making the most of the precious 7 or 8 minutes available flying time that I get out of each battery pack. I reckon I could achieve nearer ten minutes and still be coming down with about 25 % left in each pack. I test my packs after every flight to get an idea of what I am using. Yesterday's average was between 45% and 64% depending on time and how hard I was pushing the packs in terms of speed. There average speed for me is generally around half stick which is still fairly tracking. Now and again I drift towards around two thirds but very rarely more than that. Another tendency I have is to gain altitude and it is my fault as the model has been trimmed pretty well and flys well with all hands of the sticks. I think it is a sub- conscious thing that I need to get out of. ..... all part of the learning and I'll hopefully ( in the main ) eradicate these habits. So more of the same for next weekend with some more pattern work ..... flying circles and procedural turns to get my spacial awareness and positioning accuracy better and more aborted landings. Maybe time to get the model a bit higher and induce some uncomfortable positioning for me to " get myself out of ". Once I get solo, I'll get my mentor to take a bit of a video. You can then decide for yourselves. Cheers for now Toto 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Burton Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Toto - can you please explain exactly what you mean by a procedural turn in the context of your flights ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Regarding the problem of prescription sunglasses, the best solution for me 25 years or so ago was to bite the bullet and overcome the cringe factor in trying contact lenses. Finally, light drizzle is no problem, I have a free choice of sunglasses and I feel that my distance vision is better than with glasses - especially when they would collect dust and fingerprints etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 (edited) I just can't screw up the courage to stick a contact lens in my eye! To me, a procedure turn is a 90 deg turn in one direction immediately followed by a 270 deg turn in the other direction so that you reverse the direction of flight bit on the reciprocal track. The name derives from instrument flying rules in full size aviation but there are other geometries of turns. Edited April 21 by Peter Jenkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 Hi Bob..... I'll do my best. If you are flying down one leg of your flying circuit, when you get about three quarters of the way down you cross diagonally onto the other side and circle back so that you are now flying back in the opposite direction on the Same leg. I'd probably be better to include a sketch as my explanation is not the clearest. I'll see if I can g3t time to post up a sketch later. Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 17 minutes ago, Peter Jenkins said: I just can't screw up the courage to stick a contact lens in my eye! I said the same for decades and then for some reason suddenly decided to give it a try. I haven’t looked back since…if you’ll forgive the inappropriate metaphor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 Hi Bob, my understanding of a procedure turn ..... hope this makes it clearer. The black line shows the direction of travel before commencing the turn. As you come round your circuit and start to commence the turn ..... follow the red line and direction of arrows. You commence your turn pointing away from the crowd and undertake a full 360 degree turn to bring you back on yourself traveling in the opposite direction down the line nearest the crowd again. Note the extremes of the crowd lines marked in green. the idea being that as you do your turn ..... you never point your model directly at them. The turn is undertaken out with the viewing area. I hope this makes sense. Others may want to add more theoretical comments. My understanding may be basic ..... but I have tried good Sir. cheers toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Toto, listen to your mentor. Also trainers trimmed to straight and level flight, will climb if too much if more power is applied, remember throttle is the climb control. Ease back on the throttle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toto Posted April 21 Author Share Posted April 21 Hi Don, You are right, my mentor tells me to throttle back every now and again. It's so easy to unintentionally let the throttle thumb " creep " a bit. I think in time, I should be able to stop that happening as much. It can be a very gradual thing that you don't notice that you are doing until its blatantly obvious. All part of the learning. Cheers Toto 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Burton Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 9 minutes ago, toto said: hope this makes it clearer Quite clear thanks Toto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.