Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30; Flight Crew Total 1300; Flight Crew Type 250
Physiological - Other
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown; Inflight Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
I experienced temporary blind spots in my vision while scanning for traffic as a CFII/safety pilot for my instrument student (pilot flying) while on an IFR flight plan. The cause of the event was 3 extremely bright solar towers located approximately 35 miles southwest of the Las Vegas VORTAC. We were being vectored off of V538 direct to Hector (HEC) VORTAC. When I was scanning for traffic to the south and west; I experienced temporary blindness; visual discomfort and distraction. I was unable to scan at all for about 5 minutes while my eyes recovered from the initial event; and I was also unable to safely scan for traffic anywhere near the direction of the solar towers (about a 90 degree sector from my 12 to 3 o'clock position) for about 10 minutes until we flew past the towers and they were behind us. On our return flight a few hours later; also on an IFR flight plan; we were actually vectored directly over the solar farm. This time; being more aware of the danger; I was able to avoid being blinded; but it was still impossible to scan in that general direction. Of note; the distraction was mitigated a little by flying directly to and over the solar farm; because the nose of the aircraft blocked more of the affected view from the cockpit and also we passed the towers quicker than flying around it. I don't know any way to prevent this from happening to anyone in the future if they are flying in the vicinity of the solar farm. I question the logic behind placing them in an air-traffic corridor near Class B airspace when there is a large amount of untraveled tracts of airspace all over southern CA and NV.
A small; low wing aircraft instructor pilot experiences temporary blindness after viewing solar arrays 35 NM southwest of LAS.