Avoiding VFR into IMC accidents

[visibility3miles]

As to flying VFR at night...

(My training included several hours of IFR training under the hood.)

[Edited to add that I've had actual IFR instruction, including flying through clouds, but not enough to try it solo.]

Everywhere I've flown under VFR conditions at night in the USA, there are so many lights on the ground that there's no chance I could confuse which side is up, at least under conditions I'd risk flying.

I can easily imagine that most of Australia is far darker on the ground once you get away from coastal regions, hence far harder to discern a horizon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F...r._plane_crash

July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., son of US president John F. Kennedy, died when the light aircraft he was flying crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts....

The official investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that Kennedy fell victim to spatial disorientation while he was descending over water at night and consequently lost control of his plane. Kennedy did not hold an instrument rating and therefore he was only certified to fly under visual flight rules. At the time of the crash, the weather and light conditions were such that all basic landmarks were obscured, making visual flight challenging, although legally still permissible...