Sure is dark out here

[FlyArmy]

Just thought I would write up an interesting experience I had flying from Junction City KS to Steamboat last night. I've crossed the Rockies at night before, but always had a moon. This time, I was just entering Colorado as the waning moon set behind some clouds, and the sky was super dark. I have a grt sport, 696, and foreflight, so I felt well equipped, but as I passed Fort Collins and hit the mountains, all ground references disappeared, and there is a lot of smoke from some wildfires, which caused a haze to form and dim the very few lights in the mountains.

I've flown some pretty high adrenaline missions before, mainly in combat, but this was up there. There was absolutely zero reference to a horizon, other than my grt, because it was so black/dark. The haze caused the few sporadic ground lights to look very similar to stars, and I cold have been upside down and known no difference. A few times I would look down at my iPad, look up, and be rolling into a 30 degree turn (working on some lateral autopilot issues, so couldnt use it). Only got spatially disoriented once, and that was no issue after staring at the grt for a few seconds.

Another issue I faced was that while I had my grt, 696, and iPad dimmed as low as they would go, there were still reflections on the bubble canopy that gave me false peripheral illusions and were somewhat distracting.

Needless to say, when I broke out of complete darkness and had steamboat in sight, I was quite relieved. I felt like I was flying solely by reference to instruments, albeit VFR, with very little room between me and the mountains. The steamboat runway seemed to come up really fast too and looked to be elevated, and I couldn't see anything around it until my landing light hit it on short final, but I landed with out issue. I'll be interested to see the airport in the daylight.

To top the night off, I parked next to another RV. Can't wait to make the return flight, hopefully in the daylight this time, and hopefully the 30kt headwind I had will still be there for the return as a tailwind.

Would I do that again? Maybe, depending on the circumstances. I have no reason not to trust my airplane or myself, as of yet. She's a trusty beast and gets me where i need to go. But it did get me thinking that a nice IFR platform may be in the cards as a next/supplemental plane.

[Ron Lee]

I do not fly in the mountains at night. Not worth it.

[rockwoodrv9]

Wow Ryan, interesting flight. If I was back home now, you could just drop over the hill into GWS for lunch! Have fun in Steamboat. Get with flyinmonque. He is just up the road in Craig and could give you some cool locations to check out. Have fun

[David Paule]

Man, that's harder flying than I'd care to tackle.

Short discussion here - and I'm certainly not trying to throw bricks. You had sufficient experience and equipment to bring it off and you succeeded.

I was told once that of these:

Single engine,
Night,
Bad weather,
Bad terrain,

"You can safely do any two," the guy said. And that's what I use as a guide to help manage my risk.

Enjoy Colorado!

Dave

[Beer30?]

I live just East of the Front Range (south of Fort Collins), fly professionally, was trained in the military, and have given multiple mountain checkouts. I will not fly a GA airplane into the mountains at night. Sparky Imeson, author of the Mountain Flying Bible, died in his own A/C in the mountains during the daytime. Night/low vis just takes away too many of your escape options. Let's be careful out there.


David

[BobTurner]

Dark night flying can be - as you and JFK jr found out - flying solely by reference to instruments. Some countries, like Mexico, simply do not allow vfr at night.

Did you have a plan if the GRT quit?

[ScottSchmidt]

Just landed after a flight home from Lake Powell. It was the same for me for half the flight. Even the flight down on Thursday morning was crazy during the day. I left early with a low sun in the horizon and there was so much smoke it was hard to see the horizon looking straight ahead.
The smoke really makes it difficult.

[rv8ch]

I did a single engine, clear and moonless night, in the winter, "VFR" flight here in the mountains with a zillion hour CFII just to see what it was like.

We flew out on instruments and once we got away from the normal city lights, we turned the panel down completely and flew solely by outside reference.

The few stars were quickly confused with random lights on the mountains. There were simply not enough visual references to even keep the wings level. Holding any kind of consistent bank angle in a turn was hit or miss. There was no way to visually navigate at all. No way to visually locate a place to land. Had the engine failed, I would have had to trim for the slowest possible speed and pray.

I intellectually agreed with David's list before this flight, but I was a true believer afterwards!

[Wayne Gillispie]

Don't forget fuel.

No night flying over mountainous terrain for me and my family unless it is an absolute emergency. It is difficult enough in the daytime to find a level patch.

Originally Posted by David Paule

Man, that's harder flying than I'd care to tackle.

Short discussion here - and I'm certainly not trying to throw bricks. You had sufficient experience and equipment to bring it off and you succeeded.

I was told once that of these:

Single engine,
Night,
Bad weather,
Bad terrain,

"You can safely do any two," the guy said. And that's what I use as a guide to help manage my risk.

Enjoy Colorado!

Dave

[Ron Lee]

Originally Posted by Wayne Gillispie

No night flying over mountainous terrain for me and my family unless it is an absolute emergency. It is difficult enough in the daytime to find a level patch.

The place you are at will be nuked unless you leave. Even then there are rental cars.

Get-there-itis is bad.