Night flight - so awesome

[salty]

My airport is pretty small and doesn't have great lighting. My porch light is brighter than the beacon. But, I overcame my fears and wow. How awesome is it up there at night? Did a few touch and goes at a towered airport with good lighting and then tried a couple back at home. Did my first solo night flight in the mooney. No big deal, really, really enjoyed getting my night currency back. 

[Skates97]

I loved flying at night when I was getting my PPL, but that's the last time I flew at night. Here in So Cal the cities are all lit up. I have to have 10 hours dual training per the insurance company. I told my CFI the last couple of hours I want to do at night.

[Raptor05121]

I just did 2.2 tonight

[DVA]

Here's a good technique for folks who don't fly at night on a regular basis or those who are just apprehensive. Just after the sun sets start doing pattern work and touch and goes. Use the evening dusk when some light is still available to practice accuracy landings or whatever. Within a hour you'll be doing your night take offs and landings with no issues. By starting early with a little light left, you gain confidence easily.

[cliffy]

Where I fly its so dark that on a moonless night just as you pass the far end of the runway you are IFR as there are no lights north or east what so ever. NOT ONE! No horizon definition at all! Even clear skies give bad spacial orientation and vertigo. I've trained a few on this phenomenon at this airport just as above. Start at dusk and move to full night. Then have them land without runway lights, only landing light (wait for the auto runway lights to turn off-we don't have much traffic here either). Out here there is no way one would come out alive with an engine failure away from the airport doing an off airport landing at night. Dead is dead out here. 

[Skates97]

11 minutes ago, cliffy said:

Where I fly its so dark that on a moonless night just as you pass the far end of the runway you are IFR as there are no lights north or east what so ever. NOT ONE! No horizon definition at all! Even clear skies give bad spacial orientation and vertigo. I've trained a few on this phenomenon at this airport just as above. Start at dusk and move to full night. Then have them land without runway lights, only landing light (wait for the auto runway lights to turn off-we don't have much traffic here either). Out here there is no way one would come out alive with an engine failure away from the airport doing an off airport landing at night. Dead is dead out here. 

It all comes down to where you are. For me the joy of flying is looking around and seeing everything, whether it is day or night. If it's just pitch black, there's no fun in that for me, and it wouldn't be safe for me anyway given my lack of instrument time. I'm just lucky that here in and around the LA Basin there is no shortage of lights at night.

[Hank]

I love me some night flying--pattern work, local flights or cross country.

Edited December 24, 2016 by Hank

[Hector]

Night flying is beautiful indeed, specially if you live in heavily populated areas where the sea of lights can be just beautiful. Flying up/down the east cost of Florida is a good example of this specially when you can contrast the sea of lights with the darkness of the ocean. On clear winter nights from 12K you can almost see the outline of the entire state. That being said, I really don't go out of my way to fly at night. In fact, I often plan to avoid it if possible. I don't mind and it does not bother me that much, but it's another risk factor I like to mitigate by not indulging too much.


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[Raptor05121]

3 hours ago, Hector said:

Night flying is beautiful indeed, specially if you live in heavily populated areas where the sea of lights can be just beautiful. Flying up/down the east cost of Florida is a good example of this specially when you can contrast the sea of lights with the darkness of the ocean. On clear winter nights from 12K you can almost see the outline of the entire state. That being said, I really don't go out of my way to fly at night. In fact, I often plan to avoid it if possible. I don't mind and it does not bother me that much, but it's another risk factor I like to mitigate by not indulging too much.


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Coming back from Jacksonville, I make sure I'm within gliding distance of I-10 on my way back west. Only safe spot in the darkness below that is the Osceola Natn'l Forest.

[kmyfm20s]

This time of year I do a lot of take off at sun down and fly into the night. Night flying is really enjoyable! This picture is after taking off from KUDD looking north towards Palm Springs.