How people land (visually) towards the blinding sun?

[leghorn 76]

I was wondering many times how such thing is possible. I'm surely incapable of driving my car normally during sunrise/ sunsets so can't even imagine what it would be like landing a plane (light/heavy) facing the dawning/setting sun. I believe not all aircraft have sunshades in the cockpit... Any thoughts?

[WarpSpider74 9]

You mean like this?  Check from about 8:50 onwards.

 

 

Definitely no sun shade in the cockpit  :lol:

 

It's pretty easy really (in a glider), at least I find it so.  When I'm on final, I'm not looking up at the sun, I'm looking at my aiming point on the runway and don't notice the glare from the sun.  It's much different to driving a car where you may be looking up close to the horizon and hence more directly at a low sun.  Looking towards the sun can be a PITA in other phases of flight though, especially on aerotow.

 

Cheers,

Derek

[jeroen79 0]

Pilots can wear sunglasses.

[g_precentralis 191]

Without sunglasses it's very distracting. 

[Oracle427 45]

I feel that the worst time is actually when the sun has just set and you still have light in the sky, but the runway lights also need to be turned on. A lot of smaller airport runways have pilot controlled lighting, but they remain too bright even at the dimmest settings.

 

For me this usually results every crazing crack in the windshield revealing itself in its full glory, makiing it difficult to see forward.

 

This never seems to happen to complete darkness.

[leghorn 76]

Many thanks for your explanations, guys. My local airport is 09/27 at 42N, so it really made me wondering many times while taking 'epic' photos.

 

WarpSpider74, that was an amazing landing! I thought you'll slam her hard at first, due to late flare, but all went so perfect! Gotta check more glider videos for sure!

[Airbus Commander 563]

Polaroid lenses are a god sent for sun glare. Everyone should have a pair for driving/flying... 

 

Regards,

Ró.

[dmncnpilot 39]

Ró,

 

Are the Polaroid lenses the same as polarized lenses? And if so how do you see your ND, PFD, etc?

[gandy 18]

Ró,

 

Are the Polaroid lenses the same as polarized lenses? And if so how do you see your ND, PFD, etc?

 

 

Yeah they are the same, also a polarized lens does not block light it self but blocks the glare that happens with a light source ( to some degree it blocks ), even car mirrors can now be polarized to reduce the glare making them more effective under certain light conditions.

[doog79 43]

Ray Ban aviators, I have a pair for driving, they are excellent for getting rid of the glare.

[Airbus Commander 563]

Ró,

 

Are the Polaroid lenses the same as polarized lenses? And if so how do you see your ND, PFD, etc?

 

Yes they are indeed the same, and that's an important issue you mention. They don't totally obscure your vision of the instruments or through the wind shield, but they're to obscure them more than regular tinted sunglasses, but it's a balancing act, if my eyes are shut closed due to glare, then I'm not going to be able to see instruments at all if you catch my drift, but it is important to be able to make a judgement call... I have two pairs of sunglasses, my regular pair for when it's bright which are just tinted grey-green glasses, but when there's glare in my eyes I have my polarized pair as they're the best thing you can get for it.

 

Regards,

Ró.

[g_precentralis 191]

Ro, how much distraction do you feel with that kind of landing without sunglasses? Ok, reduced vision is obvious, but I feel mind distraction, so it gets difficult to execute checklist for example. What's your experience?

[Airbus Commander 563]

Ro, how much distraction do you feel with that kind of landing without sunglasses? Ok, reduced vision is obvious, but I feel mind distraction, so it gets difficult to execute checklist for example. What's your experience?

Depends on the situation, I mean in some cases you'd totally limit your traffic scan which is obviously not a good situation, but then with polaroids, you don't get the glare off other aircraft that helps you notice them, so there really is a balance. But certainly, looking into the sun is not going to do you any favours, so you need to eliminate that glare.

 

Instruments can become slightly distorted as they have a polarized layer over them, but if that's the case just tilt your head slightly and it'll resolve itself. Same with the wind shield, they've a polarized layer but it tends to diminish in some parts, so you end up with a kind of oil on water or CD surface effect while, but again turning your head slightly solves any issues there.

 

For those who don't know how polarization works, here's a diagram:

 

Regards,

Ró.

[dmncnpilot 39]

Very interesting Ró. My airline prohibits us from wearing polarized sun glasses while conducting flight duties. So to tell you the truth I haven't tried wearing them to see the effects of them while flying. Maybe I'll try it on the ground at the gate

 

Thanks for the information buddy!

[Airbus Commander 563]

Very interesting Ró. My airline prohibits us from wearing polarized sun glasses while conducting flight duties. So to tell you the truth I haven't tried wearing them to see the effects of them while flying. Maybe I'll try it on the ground at the gate

 

Thanks for the information buddy!

We're just Captains discretion on it, and informed of the advantages and disadvantages (as we are with practically everything), but there's nothing like them for removing glare. What kind of equipment are you operating? Are the windshields and displays polarized? I just find normal tinted lenses don't do the job well enough for my liking, so still use my polaroids. 

 

Regards,

Ró.