Considerations at Night
Joined: Sep 2001
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 2,787
Likes: 208
From: Toronto
Engine Failure -- Aim for the Blackest Spot
That generally gives you a survivable landing.
The adage is to turn on the landing on short final and if you don't like what you see, turn it off
One pilot over a suburban area did just that and put out the lights for the entire area when he ended up in a power substation
He survived.
Landing on highways always exposes you to wires (unlike power substations which in at least one case functioned as a safety net
), it just takes one wire to mess up a landing.
Flying over the Canadian Shield at night with its pothole ponds and vertical rock faces, I find myself inclined to the highway option, given that habitation (i.e. wire crossings) and traffic are sparse. Pick out a car to illuminate the "runway" environment and land just behind it. Then get yourself and a/c off the road before the next car hits you.
The adage is to turn on the landing on short final and if you don't like what you see, turn it off
One pilot over a suburban area did just that and put out the lights for the entire area when he ended up in a power substation
He survived.
Landing on highways always exposes you to wires (unlike power substations which in at least one case functioned as a safety net
), it just takes one wire to mess up a landing. Flying over the Canadian Shield at night with its pothole ponds and vertical rock faces, I find myself inclined to the highway option, given that habitation (i.e. wire crossings) and traffic are sparse. Pick out a car to illuminate the "runway" environment and land just behind it. Then get yourself and a/c off the road before the next car hits you.
Joined: Jun 2002
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
Posts: 7,177
Likes: 297
From: Nanaimo (CAC8)
mattuk1, a good description of a Black Hole Approach can be found here Sensory illusions in aviation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia,
along with descriptions of other illusions:
Another issue to watch out for on dark nights with few or no visible ground lights is the sudden lack of any apparent horizon reference after flying beyond the runway lights during departure. Instrument skills are required in this circumstance.
Be careful, have fun and remember the engine doesn't know that it is dark.
along with descriptions of other illusions:
Black-hole approach illusion
A black-hole approach illusion can happen during a final approach at night (no stars or moonlight) over water or unlit terrain to a lighted runway beyond which the horizon is not visible. If the pilot has no peripheral visual cues to be oriented relative to the earth, there may be the illusion of being upright and the runway itself to be tilted and sloping.
A particularly hazardous black-hole illusion involves approaching a runway under conditions with no lights before the runway and with city lights or rising terrain beyond the runway. These conditions may produce the visual illusion of being too high on final approach, resulting in pitching the aircraft nose down to decrease the perceived approach angle.
A black-hole approach illusion can happen during a final approach at night (no stars or moonlight) over water or unlit terrain to a lighted runway beyond which the horizon is not visible. If the pilot has no peripheral visual cues to be oriented relative to the earth, there may be the illusion of being upright and the runway itself to be tilted and sloping.
A particularly hazardous black-hole illusion involves approaching a runway under conditions with no lights before the runway and with city lights or rising terrain beyond the runway. These conditions may produce the visual illusion of being too high on final approach, resulting in pitching the aircraft nose down to decrease the perceived approach angle.
Be careful, have fun and remember the engine doesn't know that it is dark.
Last edited by India Four Two; 25th January 2010 at 06:10.
Cut & Paste Intellectual
Joined: Jul 2003
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
From: Durham
Some of my most memorable flights have been at night.
Departing from Bodo – Norway at night and breaking out on top into sky illuminated with red and green aurora borealis.
Low level departure from Biggin Hill north bound – and over flying central London 2000' – brilliant white lights rather than the drab sodium yellow (this departure unfortunately no longer possible thanks to OBL)
Night departures – watch out for horizon gyro precession whilst accelerating - can give a presentation of a climbing turn! Not good when ascending into the inky black! Easier to get "uncertain of your position" unless you are up to speed with IFR navigation. You need the right aircraft - properly equipped.
Most enjoyable rating I ever did and enjoy night flying – it’s huge fun.
Standard caveat - no strobes whilst taxiing - akin to using fog lights on your car in good vis!
Departing from Bodo – Norway at night and breaking out on top into sky illuminated with red and green aurora borealis.
Low level departure from Biggin Hill north bound – and over flying central London 2000' – brilliant white lights rather than the drab sodium yellow (this departure unfortunately no longer possible thanks to OBL)
Night departures – watch out for horizon gyro precession whilst accelerating - can give a presentation of a climbing turn! Not good when ascending into the inky black! Easier to get "uncertain of your position" unless you are up to speed with IFR navigation. You need the right aircraft - properly equipped.
Most enjoyable rating I ever did and enjoy night flying – it’s huge fun.
Standard caveat - no strobes whilst taxiing - akin to using fog lights on your car in good vis!
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
From: .
I really enjoyed doing the night rating. It was a strange experience at first being used to only day vfr.
I didn't find the navigating too difficult and the views are outstanding. It took a couple of landings to get used to it, but once I had nailed that the landings without PAPI, landing light, cockpit lighting etc was actually ok.
Actually the 5 solo stop&go's for the qualification were some of the smoothest landings I had ever done.
At one point my instructor took us out towards the coast and I did a turn with the nose pointing out towards the water with no moon etc, it was very strange there was absolutly nothing to go on except the instruments and was my first taste of actual IMC conditions (without hood on etc).
I was constantly thinking of the engine failure scenario, but as they say the engine does not know it is dark. One can only hit best glide, aim for a dark spot and land into wind and hope for the best!
I didn't find the navigating too difficult and the views are outstanding. It took a couple of landings to get used to it, but once I had nailed that the landings without PAPI, landing light, cockpit lighting etc was actually ok.
Actually the 5 solo stop&go's for the qualification were some of the smoothest landings I had ever done.
At one point my instructor took us out towards the coast and I did a turn with the nose pointing out towards the water with no moon etc, it was very strange there was absolutly nothing to go on except the instruments and was my first taste of actual IMC conditions (without hood on etc).
I was constantly thinking of the engine failure scenario, but as they say the engine does not know it is dark. One can only hit best glide, aim for a dark spot and land into wind and hope for the best!
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13,787
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From: EuroGA.org
I always think going for a motorway would be the best option but then my instructor said i would probably loose my licence
The issue with road landings is that they often have lamp-posts alongside, which are not all that much further apart then your wingtips
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 235
Likes: 4
From: Earth
Your instructor should resign. He should not be spreading this false piece of pilot forum folklore which has never had any truth in it.
The issue with road landings is that they often have lamp-posts alongside, which are not all that much further apart then your wingtips
The issue with road landings is that they often have lamp-posts alongside, which are not all that much further apart then your wingtips
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 131
Likes: 2
From: Cornwall
The issue with road landings is that they often have lamp-posts alongside, which are not all that much further apart then your wingtips
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Yorkshire
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 230
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From: NE England
Three words: Petzl TacTikka Plus.
HANDSFREE ENERGIZER HEAD TORCH LEDx6 WITH NIGHT VISION on eBay (end time 04-Mar-10 19:27:17 GMT)
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 167
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From: N/A
How does this compare?
I'm sure you get better value for money if you go for the £13 Energizer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 666
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From: Betwixt and between
I've done a few night flights with instructors (i.e. without GPS) and I think we got lost on every one of them, so he couldn't really fail me
There is very little convection at night, so conditions generally tend to improve compared to day time conditions (pending fronts and wot not!). But one aspect is the wind. The boundary layer is much thinner and hence lower meaning that at typical GA levels of 2 to 3,000' one can be faced with the sort of wind one would normally expect much higher with very little wind just at around 1,000 - 1,500'.
The other problem is shallow fog which isn't easily detectable from aloft meaning that visibility can be suddenly and significantly reduce at very low levels like landing.
