Are you Night Current ?

[DrBill]

I have not flown my Mooney at night..., yet.  Expect to get current over the 4th.

BILL

 

[Hank]

I let it slip this spring when the days got longer. Being super busy at work didn't help, either. But I will be back by this weekend!

[chrisk]

It doesn't get dark until 8:45 or 9pm.  It's really hard to stay night current in the summer.  I'm not night current, but  I was night current in December!

[flhelo]

I stay current because of my job!! But thats is in Helo's. I do get current every few months in the plane.

[BigTex]

Nope... I gave up night flying.

[Jamie]

other: I'd like to have an instrument rating before doing any night flying away from the airport.

[yvesg]

I always kept mine current since I got it 16 years ago. I realized that when away from home, having good time with family and friends, having the option to land at night prevents having to rush to get back before dark. Note that Canadian rules are different. We have to do 5 take offs and landings at night in the last 6 months in order to be allowed to take passengers.

Yves

[bnicolette]

I am only current because I fly for a living.  I have flown the Mooney at night but only for short joy rides and on bright nights.

[Jamie]

One of the few night flights I've ever done was during a full moon and there was snow cover. Felt like cheating.

[DaV8or]

I am not current, nor do I have plans to be current. I pretty much avoid night flight as much as I can. Too bad, because I like flying at night and I find it not particularly hard. It's just that the older I get and the more I read, the more I realize that the engines quit on our birds more often than I'm comfortable with to fly at night. If a trip were coming up that required a portion of the flight to be completed with a passenger and it was the only way to get it done, I would go out and get current and do it, but I really, really try to avoid it these days.

[N9453V]

My night currency for landings has rarely if ever lapsed, but every so often my night currency for takeoffs does. It had expired a few days ago, so I decided to fix that last night... I departed BTR around 2330, did a stop and go, then picked up IFR to AEX, it was OVC005 with -RA, flew the GPS 32 just a bit above LPV minimums (broke out at 300ft AGL... bases were ragged and lower just above the approach end of 32), taxied to the self serve and filled up at $4.84/gal, flew IFR back to BTR and got back in around 0130, probably the most fun I've had regaining night currency in a while.

 

-Andrew

[Jeff_S]

I don't generally have a strong need to fly at night, and down here in Atlanta it's pretty easy to avoid night flight even starting as early as March. But I generally go out for night training at least once each year in springtime just to brush up, and I actually enjoy flying at night because of the smooth air, good visibility, great sunsets, etc.

[Hank]

Jeff is right about the views. I like to visit family 8-10 Toyota hours away, or 2+ Mooney hours, on the weekend. This often means leaving after work on Friday--dusk departures in winter, dusk arrivals in summer.

How else can you see things like this, at 10,000' over eastern Kentucky?

[rbridges]

I don't generally have a strong need to fly at night, and down here in Atlanta it's pretty easy to avoid night flight even starting as early as March. But I generally go out for night training at least once each year in springtime just to brush up, and I actually enjoy flying at night because of the smooth air, good visibility, great sunsets, etc.

 

flying at night is almost therapeutic.  smooth air and little radio traffic.

[1964-M20E]

I generally avoid night flights.  I do not like to start a long cross country in the dark.  I will finish up the last hour or so at night.  As for currency on those flights where I finish up at night I’ve been by myself so I’m working on currency and getting there.  My next trip to ORL (solo if you do not count the dog) will probably end up landing at dusk or just after depending on when I take off and of course there is the time change as well flying east.

 

I generally do not worry about being night current.

[N201MKTurbo]

90% of my flights are solo, so it doesn't matter. If I'm taking passengers I'll hit the pattern.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

I love flying at night but it's just one of those things I've allowed to fade into the sunset as I get older.

[fantom]

Get up to about 10,000 ft at night over the FL coast. Turn radios and cabin lights down, put oxygen and A/P on, pull the power back......BLISS

[BorealOne]

Sunset tonight: 2339 MT Sunrise Tomorrow 0339 MT. Doesn't really get dark even after sunset this time of year, but at least I can count a night landing after midnight as 'night'.

[carusoam]

No, I stopped flying at night because of inferior equipment to deal with emergencies...

Now the equipment has been significantly updated, I may reconsider...

Best. Regards,

-a-

[Seth]

My night currency for landings has rarely if ever lapsed, but every so often my night currency for takeoffs does.

-Andrew

 

Same issue here.  In fact, I didn't for some reason in the first few years of my license realize it had to be three TAKEOFFS and three landings.  I have many more night landings than takeoffs as my cross countries sometimes end in the dark or after work or pleasure flights around DC often happen where it is a sunset departure and a night landing, or a dusk departure, night landing.  Sometimes it's a sunset departure and dusk landing, but those two are both day time.  I acutally use a separate box in the log book to track night take offs and landings to easily see if I'm night current.  I make sure to stay current so that I'm availalbe just in case.

 

-Seth

[fantom]

I just realized....this is a Poll NOT started by our resident bird man!

 

Amazing, since I thought only Mike had that ability.

[1964-M20E]

I guess the most efficient use of training time would be to do three night time instrument approaches to a full stop on a 6k to 10k runway come to a complete stop and then take off on the same runway.  If you do that every three months all currency requirements are taken care of I guess.   I’m sure there is something I’m missing.

[fantom]

I’m sure there is something I’m missing.

 

Taxi back, rather than stop and go.

[1964-M20E]

I guess you can always use a rolling stop like most people do at stop signs