Originally Posted by
megan
In the USA that there is no night training requirement beyond FAR 61.57 is my reading Doing three circuits with an instructor at a well lit airport at night is not night flying, his night flying experience will be interesting..
Well first of all you’re wrong about the night flying requirements under FAA.
61.109
3 hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems/facilities and radar services appropriate to instrument flight
and
3 hours of night flight training in a single-engine airplane that includes -
(i) One cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance; and
(ii) 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport.
Unfortunately he should have never taken off from runway 23 with an early turn out of the water.
He should have used runway 5 towards a lighted area or runway 31.
I am very familiar with VNC airport as I used to take students there on night cross countries.
I used to show them the additional dangers of using runway 5 for landing as your turn from downwind to base leg and (in a high wing) part of your turn to final is without any visual reference.
Runway 13 or 23 for landing an runway 5 or 31 for departure.
I wouldn’t say VNC is notorious for this but there have been more fatal accidents at night, quick search shows 3 (4?) fatal loss of control accidents at night in the last 20 years.
https://www.airnav.com/airport/KVNC