`Give me a Tiger,moonlight and goosenecks`.....
Once upon a time ,long ago,5 Dec`76,down at the `Tiger Club`on a brilliant but freezing day,after `thawing-out` from giving a check-ride in a Tiger `DC`to a gentleman,who used to have a `Beta`,then a Harvard, and now a Yak-?,but who shall remain nameless, the conversation turned to night flying(we may even have adjourned to the pub,for a few `cokes`..).`It`s a lovely night for flying`,`It is ,isn`t it`,nice and clear,and a full moon,see for miles`,`why don`t we go for some night flying?,`cos the Jodel(lights) is at the back of the hangar`,`Michael`s not here(Jones..Boss)`,We could use the Tiger as it`s at the front`.....`I`m sure I`ve seen a set of lights for a Tiger in the workshop`.......An hour or so later`DC`emerges from hangar sporting a combined set of battery powered nav.lights atop the fuel tank;someone had also dug out the `gooseneck` lamps and laid them out along the side of the runway,flaring merrily,and one to keep us warm at the hangar..As I was current night,I was volunteered to check out the others,so off we went...the moon had now risen in the East,and the dew was now frozen,like icing,reflecting the moonshine,as we weaved out to take-off..
Line-up with the flares off the left,aiming for the middle one at the other end
and then seeing the yellow exhaust change to red and then blue at full power..heady stuff... you could read the instruments,as the moon was behind,but once downwind there was just a black hole,still,keep the flares off the left wing tip,1900 rpm,by ear,and look at the horizon,count to `five` after the last flare,power to idle,trim ,65kt(ish) gentle turn,now you can read the altimeter,look for the lights,and the `picture`,see the aircraft shadow,just follow it and gently flare......greaser...fullpower,orft we jolly well go for another one...and so it went on for 50 mins checking out Smith,Reagan and Joyce,and then having to prise my frozen body out to let Smithy check out a few more `intrepids`.....Absolutely fabulous on such a night.....and the beers tasted much better later....and I don`t recall if the`Boss` ever knew..Syc....