Night Flight

I've read Doug's Safety Missive and agree with many of his personal limits, one of them being night flight. While I won't fly on just any night, I will occasionally accept the risk. I noticed the night before was bright and the moon lit up the sky. There was no wind and I thought to myself "What a perfect night to fly" I have been itching to test my newly rebuilt rudder in SMOOTH air to see if flew as straight as I thought. Testing in rough bumpy air leaves some doubt.

So there I was watching a few episodes of Flying Alaska while eating dinner when it dawned on me that there should be a large moon again. I remembered I was due to fill up the tanks but had plenty to make it to the cheapest fuel airport around with reserve. I set out just before dusk with my flashlights and a plan.

As I arrived at my fuel stop, I worry about descending into areas of darkness. I worry about obstacles even though there are none charted. Thankfully the RV allows for a steep approach. Safely on deck my anxiety subsides because I now have full tanks and I am headed to an airport I am intimately familiar. I set the course on the GPS and I take off into the darkness.

The air is smooth and my rebuilt rudder feels just fine. I am actually flying something I built! That big moon I was hoping for has not yet appeared....as I fly over a large dark area of unpopulated forest, I am amazed by my keen sense of hearing. I hear the engine making an unfamiliar sound or two. Richen the mixture just in case.

My next stop is a large international airport that has more lights than my neighborhood. Short final to Runway 13 at Atlantic City. (sorry, crappy cell phone pics)


I did a full stop-taxi back. Holding short of Runway 13..


On the hold runway 13


Back in the air checking out the scenary. It's not Vegas but it's nearby!






I made a 180 over the Atlantic and gazing out to the east I realized there was a dark haze, a black ocean, and absolutely no reference point. Reminded me of what JFK Jr was probably dealing with before he died.


Anyway, back at home I recorded 1.2 hours of night flight in the log book. Under 10 hours of night in my 400 PIC flying...

Night flying is some of the best!

Sweet. Congrats on flying w/ the new rudder, and on the 1 yr build milestone too.

I love flying at night, although I haven't really gone out after sunset in forever. I considered it Sunday and Monday evenings, but the winds didn't seem to want to go down to the level I wanted. Maybe after this next snowstorm...

Mile High Relic said:

Sweet. Congrats on flying w/ the new rudder, and on the 1 yr build milestone too.

I love flying at night, although I haven't really gone out after sunset in forever. I considered it Sunday and Monday evenings, but the winds didn't seem to want to go down to the level I wanted. Maybe after this next snowstorm...

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I'm with John. I love flying at night...though I will freely admit that a taildragger crosswind night landing....gives me pause.

Nice! Next time I go with you

One of my favorite things about night landings is getting to turn on my taxi light on the way back to the hangar. It doesn't get used nearly enough

tkatc said:

That big moon I was hoping for has not yet appeared....as I fly over a large dark area of unpopulated forest, I am amazed by my keen sense of hearing. I hear the engine making an unfamiliar sound or two. Richen the mixture just in case.

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Funny how that works. I commute fairly regularly on weekends, so fly at night quite often. Always interesting how much more noises directly influence my heart rate at night vs. the day

Night is right!

Looked at my Logbook and ran a report.....886 hours of night logged! I have always loved night flying....except for the ones that terminated in a low IFR approach....those made the night seem darker and more ominous

But a night flight on a crystal clear cold winter night.....the light of a full moon flooding a snow covered landscape.....hard to surpass in beauty!!!

Over 800 hours in my log book and zero hours at night. some day I need to change my Cinderella license . Tony your post is a motivator

Jeff, you have to have a few hours...it's required for a PPL.

One of my favorite parts of night flying is having mostly commercial operators on ATC. Far fewer recreational flyers getting their $100 hamburger when the moonlight is out and communications seem to be more professional in general.

Recently took my wife up for her first night flight in a light aircraft. As a result of both a ship-side and concurrent headset wiring problem we were unable to speak to each other - she had neither mic nor headset audio. It was the night before full moon, cloudless, with nary a bump in the sky. With spring melt water filling every depression in the earth and the Ottawa river swelling its banks it was quite a sight to see. While there was almost no traffic (save for a local 9A out doing some hood time) I worked the radios and kept our path oriented to maximize my wife's sightseeing opportunities.

After landing we sat in the airplane and snuggled for a minute or two. She was mightily impressed by the beauty of the night, and thankful for the unintentional silence which provided her a rare opportunity for quiet reflection.

Yes, she wants to go up for another night flight!