Night Flying

[Mooneymite]

I agree with those who suggest turning off the landing light(s). Unless you make yourself look down-field, your eyes are drawn to the illuminated area close to the plane and you lose your vertical cues. In the Navy we called this "spotting the deck"....or as some quipped, "splotting the deck". Turning off the landing lights was a technique I used when a student made hard landings at night. Usually worked like a charm. Once he got the picture, we started using the lights again.

Don't try this on an unlighted airport.

[Hank]

Great post.

I just adjusted my approach speeds lower the past few flights (but not quite that slow) ... I was clearly too fast using 85mph on short final.

 

I fly downwind and base at 90, targeting 85 mph as I roll wings-level on final. My short final airspeed should be 80, slowing to 70/75 over the numbers depending on my estimated landing weight. It's easy to remember, just keep slowing down on final, to 75 if heavy or 70 if light.

 

This worked for me one summer evening early in instrument training. The landing light that I had just replaced wouldn't stay on, it kept blowing the breaker [turned out there was a chafed spot on the wire, grounding out on the cowl] so I landed without it. Because it was summer after work, I still had on my prescription sunglasses that I had driven over with, and my clear glasses were safely in the car . . . So I landed at night, no landing light, wearing my sunglasses since I am nearsighted and see much better beyond arms' reach with them on.

[201er]

You can eliminate all the guess work/numbers with an Angle of Attack indicator... which would show you the thing you actually care about.

[robert7467]

How much are AOA's installed?

[DonMuncy]

You just can't stand it if people aren't arguing about something .  

Don

[fantom]

You can eliminate all the guess work/numbers with an Angle of Attack indicator... which would show you the thing you actually care about.

 

But it won't keep you from rotating too high....

[robert7467]

Well, it looks like I am just going to have to practice. I don't plan on dumping a whole lot of $ into my mooney as far as avionics is concerned becuase after a couple years, I plan to upgrade to a Mooney with everything already on it.

[ghovey]

Yes you have to land faster if fully loaded.

[manu damaschin]

I did a lot of night landings...here what I found to help:

 

- if the runway has HIALS ask the ATC to dim the lights until you will feel confortable.

- I am focusing on the center line.

- change the aircraft landing lights...usually they are not very good after a long time, you will enjoy the difference

 

 

manu

[AlanA]

What helps me the most is to keep flying with a bit of power all the way to the ground, but I have long runways to work with. I wouldn't use this method with short runways.