Anyone else enjoying the winters nights?

[TCU]

After a little deliberation, caused by I guess being a little older and cautious, took the plunge of revitalising my much neglected Night rating and how glad I am I did. Got my sign-off over a couple of evenings with the good people at WLAC.

First evening, a local area familiarization (WW and local area new to me at night), out to the North over Stokenchurch then Aylesbury, then tracking the WCO NDB before following a CPT radial back towards Reading. The combination of smooth air and fantastic viz on a crisp winter night really can’t be bettered. Second evening doing some good old fashioned circuit bashing…had forgotten how much fun that is! Again, is there a better feeling than pulling off a greaser from a PFL at night!?:ok:

Now looking forward to a few more night flights before the clocks turn.

[BackPacker]

NVFR not allowed here. Bugger.

[scooter boy]

Two weekends ago I did a night trip from Plymouth to Leeds Bradford.
My intended destination had been Humberside but it had been immersed in FZFG all day and was below minima. Leeds was the only place oop Nerth with a good TAF - my plan was to fly up to LBA.
So I took off on Saturday at dusk from Plymouth as I had been working all day in Truro and climbed to 3500ft.
By the time I was abeam Exeter a thick undercast of FZFG had filled in beneath me.
I was given a direct transit by Bristol, Birmingham and East Midlands who were all suffering in the fog.

By the time I was well into Yorkshire I saw the first ground lighting since Exeter (Bristol and Birmingham had helpfully confirmed that Leeds was CAVOK on my way up - I didn't want to get there and find it had closed in) and landed up at Leeds-Bradford. Multiflight put my little plane in the hangar overnight for £25 and I hung out in their lounge pretending to have arrived in the Lear parked outside until my lift arrived.
The drive back to Hull confirmed that the weather was as forecast.
LBA stayed clear as they are up a hill! but was -5C when I returned the next morning - a good decision to opt for hangarage.
The event up in Hull I attended was well worth the trip and the flight back the next morning saw me back in Plymouth for 11am.

I could not have done it in a car.

SB

[fernytickles]

Not me, it was -20'C when we pulled the plane out at 7.30am this morning... Thank heaven for little heaters, thank heaven :ok:

[liam548]

Two weekends ago I did a night trip from Plymouth to Leeds Bradford.
My intended destination had been Humberside but it had been immersed in FZFG all day and was below minima. Leeds was the only place oop Nerth with a good TAF - my plan was to fly up to LBA.
So I took off on Saturday at dusk from Plymouth as I had been working all day in Truro and climbed to 3500ft.
By the time I was abeam Exeter a thick undercast of FZFG had filled in beneath me.
I was given a direct transit by Bristol, Birmingham and East Midlands who were all suffering in the fog.

By the time I was well into Yorkshire I saw the first ground lighting since Exeter (Bristol and Birmingham had helpfully confirmed that Leeds was CAVOK on my way up - I didn't want to get there and find it had closed in) and landed up at Leeds-Bradford. Multiflight put my little plane in the hangar overnight for £25 and I hung out in their lounge pretending to have arrived in the Lear parked outside until my lift arrived.
The drive back to Hull confirmed that the weather was as forecast.
LBA stayed clear as they are up a hill! but was -5C when I returned the next morning - a good decision to opt for hangarage.
The event up in Hull I attended was well worth the trip and the flight back the next morning saw me back in Plymouth for 11am.

I could not have done it in a car.

SB


How long did it take you to LBA out of interest and in what aircraft?

Liam
:)

[scooter boy]

Hi Liam,
The trip times were 1.6h Plymouth to Leeds-Bradford and 1.4h Leeds-Bradford to Plymouth, (so basically 1.5h each way).

The aircraft was my 2005 Mooney Ovation 2 GX N192JM (running at 65% power rich of peak).

SB