Tages Anzeiger (Switzerland)
ZURICH – Clear, sunny skies typically make for safe airplane travel. But according to the Swiss Tages Anzeiger newspaper, airport officials in Zurich are worried that the reflected sunlight from solar panels planned for a nearby church steeple could blind pilots while they are landing.
This is not the first time this issue has arisen in Switzerland. Experts using 3-D technology to calculate the exact path of the sun's rays determined that changes had to be made to a “green” home whose solar panels were blinding fighter pilots landing at a nearby military airport.
In the vicinity of Zurich Airport, there have been problems in the past regarding windows reflecting the sun at an angle that could be dangerous for pilots. As there are more and more solar panels, the glare from sunlight is becoming a real issue.
