Night flying
 

Now is the perfect time of year to do some night flying....practice, get the rating. There will be clear weather, crisp cold air from the Northwest, your power plane incorporates a heater! if you are equipped with the night rating you can make full use of your UK license in North America. It is also simply beautiful flying at night.

Perhaps others can suggest a good place in the UK to fly at night?

Pedant mode/I thought any time of year was fine for night flying? As long as it's night?...:)/pedant mode off.

Yes, but in our wonderfully backward country, most airfields close long before it gets dark throughout most of the year!

Don't know, lucky enough to fly from two that don't...:}

Do you also have this strange concept of magically disappearing airfields at sunset in the UK? I was flying in continental Europe for a while and was always surprised to see airfields legally "vanishing" when sun sets ...

I think it's good that if your home airfield is military or regional airport that it stays open long enough for you to get night flying in.
When I was a member of another airfield, staff needed paying to stay late, if there wasn't enough pilots wanting to fly, it didn't pay to have the fire crew or radio operator remain after their usual finishing time.
I love to fly at night, but I can only do it at weekends, my work stops me night flying during the week, the weather doesn't always permit this! So still waiting to go up this season.

Thing, do share!
 

Do tell us about these two airfields where you fly that don't shut down at night in the UK?

Mary, they are military airfields which would cost you & I a mortgage to land at?

The gentleman may be correct. Hi Trev.

Oxford is open 0630 - 2230, 7 days a week now. Quite useful if you fancy a bit of night flying :ok:

Gamston is open until 1800 every day, chance to get a couple of hours of night trundling in at this time of year.

If this complacent and backward country was a little more open to flying at night (just open those damn uncontrolled airfields 24/7 as they do in Australia or in the US!) I'd have an aircraft with a chute and would probably fly at night most of the time. I just love it and it fits very well with my working hours.

Sadly this is never going to happen. :{

Airfields open at night? Who needs airfields?

Been there, Done it. Didnt enjoy it.

Elstree until 8pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Sometimes possible on other days at greater cost.....................

My recent night flying induced a considerable amount of ass pucker. Flew down from the grass strip at Forfar on Sunday to visit a friend at Strathven, ended up leaving later than planned and got wheels up at 3.55pm for the 80 mile flight home, light started fading fast after Glasgow. The route takes me past the extended centerline of Dundee where the fully lit up runway was extremely tempting but decided to push on the final 14 miles. I did check in with Dundee on passing to enquire as to the closing time which was 9pm so I knew I had an option. The light really faded fast thereafter and turning final
at the home field the only thing I could make out was the loch and trees that run parallel to the strip but not the landing zone itself, so it was full flaps in, trimmed right back to 1.2 of VSo then clinched my ass cheeks and waited,,,, best landing I've done in months ! :ok:

Is 'ass pucker' the US equivalent of 'ring twitter'?

Cusco ;)

Why would your airports close just because it's night?

I can think of two airports near Toronto which close late at night, but that's not because it's night, but rather to keep the neighbours happy with no noise after 11PM. All the other airports I can think of are either always open, or have ARCAL lights, so you open it yourself.

Here at home, my wife turns on the runway lights when I text her. I quite enjoy night flying, though I don't make a habit of really long night cross countries any more, unless it's a beauty night over a relatively populated area.

Maybe because people who have been working there all day might want to go home?