How Do You Fly Night Circuits?

[Genghis the Engineer]

Google scholar is quite a good tool for accessing paper abstracts and citations - then those with the required access via something like ATHENS can get into the full paper text, or those who don't can go and find it in a good library.

The major engineering institutions often publish a lot of stuff outside of their apparent main subject matter. I've published aerodynamics paper in an IMechE journal, and I believe that a lot of aeronautical stuff is published in the USA by ASME - the American Society of Automotive Engineers!

The theoretical disparity between engineering disciplines is mostly nonsense anyhow!

G

[llanfairpg]

My AIP recommends flying above the aircraft ahead and touching down further down the runway. So I prefer flying 3 or 4 whites following heavier airplane espesially when ATC squeezes me in between traffic.

Only problem with that is that at some stage you will fly through the flight path of the other aircraft unless you touchdown after its touchdown point.(as you say) Correct time and distance spacing means the above dosnt matter. Your advice is good Birk but dont forget to add/consider--fly to the upwind side as well

[Ken Wells]

Goose necks

I can remember doing my night rating in the 80's from Woodvale using paraffin goose necks to indicate the position of the active.

One line of lit lamps down one side of the runway and a box formation to indicate the threshold. And that was it.

On my return to the field following, my solo night cross country. The weather had changed slightly and rain and wind had started to extinguish the goose necks. I flew the approach with the lights going out one by one!

On finals my landing light went out and then came on again on touch down.

Very eventful!!!

[llanfairpg]

Are Cliff and Stan still around?

[Ken Wells]

Cliff passed away and Stan retired to his farm to count the pennies.

Some of the members got together and raised the funds to build a new hangar. But this is just for private use.

Jim SATCO also passed away, Primo still flying but Paul Kelly now concentrates on IT. Clarky still flys biz jets out of Manchester.

Happy Days

[S-Works]

I just look out the window and fly a constant aspect when VFR. When IFR on an IAP it is done for me.

Nothing like the flight back up from Guernsey at night and with only one engine.....

I am chief lighting engineer at our place, 16 garden lights on a pilot operated switch. No PAPI and you have to make sure you aim for the second pair in on the westerly end or you will clip the hedge.

[antic81]

When I did my Night Rating I was taught to land without the landing light, as they had a habbit of breaking on the PA28, did it at Biggin, did quite a few circuits with the PAPI's turned off, I was taught that when the runway lights where about shoulder height you were on the ground,got pretty good at landing without the use of a landing light...taxiing with out it, that was impossible at Biggin at night!

[DFC]

but dont forget to add/consider--fly to the upwind side as well

Please explain that when the wind is straight down the runway.

The ICAO advice on wake is better than the CAA's version of it and provides clearer examples.

A word of caution regarding using a slightly high indication on the PAPI to avoid wake. Fly with 1 white, 3 red / 2 white, 2 red / 3 white. 3 red will all take you to the same point abeam the lights the only difference is the angle of approach. Thus while using a slightly high indication at say 3nm will have you above the wake of a B737 which was on slope, as you get closer in, you will get closer to the wake until you are at the same level at the PAPIs.

The B737 nose wheel will not be on the ground at that point so it will still produce wake. Combine that with a little crosswind and the wake will be waiting for you at about 20ft..........just the height you wanted to be inverted at!

Far better to use the PAPI to asist you in establishing on final above the normal glideslope and having done that, pick your touchdown point suficiently beyond the papi and make a constant aspect approach to that point.

-------------

Night circuits at a licensed aerodrome are flown in the same way as day circuits. PAPIs where available ensure obstacle separation within the coverage when used properly. The important thing is to never fly below the on slope indication ever. How much above that you want to fly is up to you provided there is a stable approach to the correct threshold crossing height.

I do however agree that many training night circuits should be completed without PAPI or landing light.

If a tree passes through the obstacle limitation surface or is a significant obstacle then it will be either removed or lit at night where the aerodrome is licensed. The usual way to light a tree is to place a pole in an appropriate place with the light on top which shows where the tree is.

Regards,

DFC

[llanfairpg]

but dont forget to add/consider--fly to the upwind side as well Please explain that when the wind is straight down the runway.

Because of the moonbeam effect, cyclostrophic effect and geostrophic effect not taking diurnal variation into consideration the wind on the approach will not be in the same direction of that on the runway.(plus it must be Thursday night because thats night flying night)

The only problem about flying above the PAPIS is how do you know the 747 ahead wasnt flying above them too, i wouldnt want to take that chance would you?

[DFC]

The only problem about flying above the PAPIS is how do you know the 747 ahead wasnt flying above them too, i wouldnt want to take that chance would you?

You are correct and of course, one can only use that method (keeping above the otehr aircraft's approach) if you have actually seen the aircraft fly the approach and can judge their height versus distance from the threshold.

That is why I say just giving oneself an extra white on the PAPIs is not suficient. Flying the average cessna or piper or other light aircraft including the twins, it is easy to make a (what would normally be termed) steep approach and guarantee that (unless the B737 went round for an unstable approach) one is above the wake.

Regards,

DFC

[llanfairpg]

You are correct and of course, one can only use that method (keeping above the otehr aircraft's approach) if you have actually seen the aircraft fly the approach and can judge their height versus distance from the threshold.

Just to add to that DFC often on the approach to LHR we comment, "what is he doing in front", usually bongo airlines seemingly with their own glidepaths!!!

[BeechNut]

I can remember doing my night rating in the 80's from Woodvale using paraffin goose necks to indicate the position of the active.

One line of lit lamps down one side of the runway and a box formation to indicate the threshold. And that was it.

On my return to the field following, my solo night cross country. The weather had changed slightly and rain and wind had started to extinguish the goose necks. I flew the approach with the lights going out one by one!

On finals my landing light went out and then came on again on touch down.

Very eventful!!!

I did my night rating in a similar fashion. A 2800 grass and gravel field north of the Ottawa River, now defunct, called Saint-Andre-Avellin. We would set up flare pots along both edges of the runway. The threshold was where the flare pots started. We would light them, the fly to nearby Gatineau, a proper airport with landing lights, isntrument approach, etc, to do practice touch and goes.

On the night I did my night cross country, we made a long flight out of it with 1 instructor and three pilots. First one flew to YQB, second to YUL, and I had the honour of doing YUL-YOW and then home (which means I got the extra landing). When we neared home, we used a lighted tower as a reference point to find the field (no GPS in 1981..., and no navaids at the field either, but we did cross two VOR radials to confirm our position). We couldn't see the tower. We turned on the landing light and were met with a wall of fog. We quickly turned tail and landed at YOW with increasing fog and lowering ceilings (none of which were forecast). We returned to the field by car (instructor's father came to fetch us). I ended up arriving at home at 5 am.

Ahh, the memories. We were young and crazy, flying over bush and lakes at night in a 172 with the notorious H3AD engine... at least it was a brand-new aircraft.

[Julian]

I fly a normal circuit as well for night.

J.

[IO540]

Just to add to that DFC often on the approach to LHR we comment, "what is he doing in front", usually bongo airlines seemingly with their own glidepaths!!!

I've made that comment many many times on approaches to smaller airfields. So often, the traffic ahead is crawling maybe 200ft above the ground for most of the final, and/or is so far to one side they "cannot possibly" make the runway but somehow they manage to get back onto it.

Rarely do I see someone doing what looks like an overly steep approach. Most of the weird approaches on the GA scene seem to be at something like a 1 degree "glideslope" No wonder some people hit the ground if they try that at night.

[llanfairpg]

I can remember doing my night rating in the 80's from Woodvale using paraffin goose necks to indicate the position of the active.

One of the most wonderful sites in aviation is a runway lit by gooseneck flares, the last time I landed on such a runway was Kidlington in 1975, are there any club airfileds still using goosenecks?

[BackPacker]

maybe 200ft above the ground for most of the final

That's just called the "flare".

(At least, that's the excuse that I would use.)