> Regis wrote:
> A few months ago I lost site of a 3M plane in blue sky. There were about
five of us watching when it just `blinked out`. Of course I tried to
spin down but it never reappeared. A few weeks latter, another flier
recounted a similar experience on this list. That got me thinking and
I have arrived at a possible explanation. I think we flew through a
boundary layer. The temperature is different on each side - as well
as humidity etc. That bends the light. We all were looking where (in
the direction) we last saw it - not where it actually was. A mirage
is the result of such phenomena. Regis
One visual phenomena most are not familiar with: without a clear object to
focus on the eye relaxes. The distance this relaxed focus brings into sharp
vision is relatively close and nowhere near the range we are searching when
we lost sight of the plane. A clear sky makes life VERY difficult as there
is nothing definitive to focus on, hence the eye relaxes and you lose the
focus/ability to see small, distant objects.
One thing that can help is to glance briefly at the horizon and then quickly
look back to the search area. Frequent glances at a distinct, distant
object will help maintain the eye focus at a distance, perhaps enabling you
to reacquire sight of the lost plane. It is possible, with practice, to
keep the eye muscles focused on a distant area without having a distinct
object to focus on, but it is not easy and seems to require constant
practice to maintain this ability.
Hope this helps.
Jim Porter
Johnston Iowa USA
"The airplane stays up because it doesn't have the time to fall."
Orville Wright
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