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Flying during a Solar Eclipse



 
 
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  #11  
Old July 6th 17, 11:49 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Duster[_2_]
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse

Good pts, Steve. Don't panic if you think you've missed a rare opportunity, another totality comes in 2024. It's track will be somewhat opposite to this.
2017: NW to SE
2024: SW to NE

https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com...laces-to-view/
  #12  
Old July 7th 17, 01:16 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Cookie
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse



years back, I soloed a student in a 2-33...then a 1-26 same day...he went up and set a junior altitude state record...then the eclipse...

Gliders come down and land during a solar eclipse...no lift at all the rest of the day!


Cookie


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'


  #13  
Old July 7th 17, 02:16 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Bojack J4
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse

Hmmmm....no mention of how to handle soaring during a total eclipse in Reichman's book.
  #14  
Old July 7th 17, 02:32 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse

But...but...If you look at it you could go BLIND! And then lose control of your glider and possibly CRASH INTO A SLEEPING BABY!!!

Lighten up. Go fly the damn thing. 2.5 minutes of an eclipse isn't anything like flying under a solid overcast, and you will probably not be able to keep yourself under the corona for any length of time anyway.

And, no, it doesn't get that dark. There is a lot of scattered light. Kinda like twilight. It's enough to fool birds, but they aren't all that bright. Are you!

Bureaucrats may be more hazardous. Don't get entangled with an ambitious one.
  #15  
Old July 7th 17, 06:11 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Jonathan St. Cloud
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse

On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 2:31:49 PM UTC-7, wrote:
It doesn't get that dark.


For those that say "it doesn't get that dark have never been in the path of a total eclipse. I have been directly in the path, what a neat experience, all the birds were very confused and vocal. Turned dark as a dark night for a few minutes then back to normal. Personally I would rather be on the ground and enjoy the reactions of animals and people near me.
  #16  
Old July 7th 17, 06:55 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dan Marotta
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse

Imagine being in an unlit aircraft in a sky full of aircraft and
possibly having no visible horizon. I have a Dynon D10a in my Stemme
and an ATP certificate, but no navigation lights. We'll be at a Stemme
gathering in Montrose, Colorado during that time and plan to take off
early, fly to Casper, WY, and land to watch the eclipse, have lunch, and
then make a soaring flight back to Montrose.

I would imagine there would be a great urge to stare at the eclipse
which would not be a good thing, either.

On 7/6/2017 3:42 PM, Steve Leonard wrote:
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


--
Dan, 5J
  #17  
Old July 7th 17, 07:00 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Mike the Strike
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse

On a related note, a surprising number of countries permit "night vfr": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_VFR

I made one cross-country night flight in a 172 when renewing my US pilot's certificate some years ago. It was on a moonless night across uninhabited Arizona desert and "vfr" was a complete fiction - nothing was visible. I was able to fly reasonably well on instruments (thanks Microsoft!), but my landing on an unlit runway was pretty interesting. It convinced me never to fly at night without an instrument rating.

Mike

  #18  
Old July 7th 17, 07:27 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Duster[_2_]
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse

But, you will be able to stare at the eclipse for 2min 40sec at Casper (NOAA) without filters. It will get dark enough to see many stars and planets. What might be just as dramatic is to watch the moon's shadow from altitude. It will be a slightly elliptical disk, about 70 miles in diameter, and will cross the ground at ~1,700mph from west to east.
  #19  
Old July 8th 17, 12:03 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Sierra Whiskey
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse

Duster,

Night and IMC are independent of each other. Instrument Meterological Conditions are driven by ceiling and visibility, and have no regulatory influence by the position of the sun. (Meteorological influences are a different consideration however I doubt there will be many places where the short duration of the solar eclipse will change the weather conditions from VMC to IMC)

Example: A Class D airport is not considered IMC at night, and a pilot is not required to fly uner IFR into a Class D airport at night, unless the ceiling or visibility drop below VFR minimums.

Unless properly equipped and certified, gliders are not authorized to fly at night or in IMC, however I maintain that a solar eclipse does not for the definition of either condition. As long as you stay out of the clouds and maintain the minimum visibility for your class of airspace you are good to go.

-SW


  #20  
Old July 8th 17, 12:45 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Duster[_2_]
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Default Flying during a Solar Eclipse

SW,
Good teaching points, thanks. I thought if there was a loss of visual references during the eclipse, it might be considered below VFR mins. Might be fun to fly; they expect surface winds to increase and temperatures to drop 10-15 deg F.
 




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