Full electrical failure at night.

[AdamFrisch]

Look what happens on short final....:uhoh::eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsJqk_2Kr64&feature=player_embedded

[Pilot.Lyons]

Wow! Thats bad timing.

Well done to the pilot for keeping a calm head!

[Dave Gittins]

That's a message to keep the handheld held handy.

[Maoraigh1]

I'm very impressed with the landing. I had a very low voltage problem after getting "report final" at night in a Jodel DR1050 about 20 years ago. No response to "Final" calls, no landing light, no instrument light. My red torch was handy, and although I had a handheld, I didn't bother to use it at that stage of the circuit. Inverness airfield, with ATC, so I had no worries about runway lights.
I doubt I would have managed with no runway lights.

[Whopity]

Surely you train students to do that as part of a night rating; just in case.

[fa2fi]

Happened to me once soon after my ppl. It's even scarier when you're alone sad the only lighting on the ground is a papi (was unable to switch on the pilot operated lights due to the radio being off) and having to wedge my torch between my legs!

The best part was being told by the school (OBA) the aircraft was fine only for it to have the exact same problem a few days later with another pilot. Happy days.

Luckily there was some light from the built up areas as it happened around ten miles north of the field but I would not want it to happen on a moonless night in the middle of nowhere.

[ArcticChiller]

This was part of my night training for my PPL in Paine Field, WA. Land on a runway with lights out and no landing light. It is important to use a long runway because you can use a floatplane glassy water technique. Pitch for the correct, nose-up attitude, set power to maintain a descent of about 150ft/min and wait for the landing. Very good job by the pilot! :D In training I wasn't sure if I could do that in a real emergency... (Now as a floatplane pilot I think I could. Hopefully.)

[mad_jock]

Well at Inverness I have landed in the works machine and 10ft off the ground the whole airports lights went out runway, taxiway, apron floods the whole thing black as hell.

[Desert185]

As far as flashlights/torches for night flying go, one is none, two is one and three is better. :ok:

[Maoraigh1]

Surely you train students to do that as part of a night rating; just in case.
No aircraft lights - OK. But no runway lights as well? Many of my night landings have been in conditions where I could make out the runway, but some I wouldn't have had a clue as to where it was without the edge lights.
(Just 43 hours night solo)

[Pace]

Surely you train students to do that as part of a night rating; just in case.

I think it is total madness to attach the night rating to a basic PPL! It should have been part of the IMCR or other instrument qualification.

that apart any failure at night is far worse than in the day stressing the need for some instrument proficiency.

Flying is fairly straight forward until something goes wrong and it is the going wrong that sorts the men and the boys!!! those who will survive or end up dead!

Pace

[mad_jock]

I always taught the night rating as a this is why its bloody stupid to go flying at night in a single rating.

[Whopity]

No aircraft lights - OK. But no runway lights as well?That's how I learned to teach it, reducing the lighting progressively until there was very little left.

[RTN11]

Are there any fields in the UK that will actually turn all the lights off and let you practice landing?

I wonder what the insurance company would say?

[mad_jock]

You can get them usually down to just a square box on min setting which is not alot. They won`t see anything until just turning onto finals.

Depends on the controllersome want nothing to do with it. If its a pilot in the tower they will know what your trying to do.

Alot of instructors though arn`t that experenced themselves and are outside there comfort zone with the PAPIS turned off.

[rich_g85]

Bournemouth were happy to switch off the approach lights, crossbars, TDZ, centreline and PAPIs but they either couldn't (or wouldn't) turn off the edge lights or threshold & end lights. They did switch them to the lowest intensity though which as mad_jock says isn't much at all, probably dimmer than most of the lights in the vicinity of the airport.

[Desert185]

Alot of instructors though arn`t that experenced themselves and are outside there comfort zone with the PAPIS turned off.

Sad comment, eh?

[mad_jock]

They can be 5 hours and 1 hour with an FII at night.

As for the PAPI's turned off there will be some who have never ever done a powered approach without them.

[Maoraigh1]

I've had check-outs with minimal runway lights - but NO lights is a very different situation. If you can't identify the runway and have no landing light somewhere lit might be safer.o