Night rating required during a total eclipse?
 

If you are a PPL without a night rating, but you are flying during a total eclipse are you still legal?

I assume that you are but I am sure it has caught some non rated people out.

Depends on where in the world you are and whether or not the govenment has declared the eclipse zone as official night.

Having flown over the centre of the channel during the UK eclipse a couple of years back the answer was yes you are legal - no night rating was required as it was not determined as offical night and to be honest it NEVER gets dark enough to warrant one - not even remotely - and I was in the centre of the eclipse path.

There again...having had a CPL/IR at the time I wasnt exactly worried....

Hope this helps,
FF

ANO Article 129 defines night by reference to Sunset and Sunrise, determined at surface level. So legally, an eclipse is not night.