But remember, just because it's legal doesn't make it safe.
Many pilots get so busy flying that they forget about the regulations. Electrical failure at night is more problematic than in daylight. Be careful not to fix your gaze there. Lighted towers, difficult to see by day, suddenly come to life against the night sky.
Already a member? Some aspects of flying, such as finding an airport, can be easier at night than during the day. Select the VORs or NDBs (nondirectional beacons) that will guide you to your destination. Another night flight medical consideration concerns your biological clock, or circadian rhythm. At brightly lighted airports, you cannot avoid this exposure, so remember that your night vision may be impaired for some time after takeoff. Don't use a fine-point pencil because it may be difficult to read. The only real difference between day weather and night weather is that you cannot see night weather. And the potential for unwittingly flying from visual to instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) is …
Each step in the process of a night flight requires special knowledge and close attention to detail. Finally, since animals (large and small) often find their way onto rural runways at night, watch for the reflection of their eyes during takeoff and landing, and be prepared to abort if necessary. Prudent pilots typically set higher weather minimums for night VFR flights. At night, for example, you should Plan your flight over areas that offer more airports and the best available off-airport landing sites, and fly higher to increase gliding range. If it is cold, precipitation may cause airframe icing. You never know when the lights may go out. We can't stress the planning aspect of flying enough.
Don't forget to keep your own eyes open for changing weather conditions. Prevention is the best cure, but it's best to be prepared for the worst.
The aircraft is more difficult to inspect. Autokinesis is one such illusion.
Then add at least 1,000-2,000 feet to the highest MEF figure and use the sum as your minimum en route flight altitude. Have a flashlight or two with fresh (and spare) batteries within immediate reach. This technique works well even with an inoperative landing light. This time has me sitting as close to center the of my sobriety as I did in the earliest days.
Better yet, get started on that instrument rating or complete your next instrument currency check at night. Nighttime illusions are common. Apart from this, at night the temperature is a bit lower and this makes them slow and lazy.
Clouds that were forecast for 5,000 feet magically appear at 2,000 feet. So combine your hood work with some night flying. Study the airport diagram to avoid confusion and become familiar with the taxiway layout and designations. Again, a pilot relying solely on visual references may place the aircraft in an unusual attitude trying to sort out the picture. Ten minutes after takeoff, we were flying through blinding snow showers. Engines that run smoothly by day mysteriously run rough in the dark, and nightmarish thoughts of forced landings emerge from the dark recesses of your mind.
FAR 91.155—VFR visibility requirements in Class G airspace increase from 1 mile in daytime to 3 miles at night.
Checking for fuel contamination is especially difficult at night. Depending on the color, in the cockpit's red light it may appear as a solid black line through which nothing can be read.
Not only does this give you someone to talk to (but you shouldn't chat for conversation's sake), it gives you another set of eyes looking for traffic and a ready source of help if things go awry. The false horizon illusion is but one example. And if you smoke or have inhaled carbon monoxide, your vision will be even thinner. If the runway lights seem to blink or flash on your approach, beware—this usually means that obstacles on the glide path are between you and the lights. Think about and practice emergency procedures with an instructor at night.
Don't use a highlighter on your chart. Weather becomes more important, as does flight planning and attention to cockpit organization. Another tactic for avoiding faulty approaches at night is to fly over the airport and enter a standard landing pattern.
Originating in the late eighteenth century to describe a person who evades creditors by sneaking away at night, this expression is now used both as a noun and as an adjective. are active during the day and become inactive during the night.These species of flies need polarized light to guide them visually.
Lights along a street can easily create the appearance of a runway, for example. But engine failures are no more likely at night than during the day; their primary cause is still fuel mismanagement. Even if ATIS (automatic terminal information service) is not in service, many airports now have an ASOS or AWOS that provides weather information 24 hours a day. If you stare at a stationary light against a dark background, it will appear to move in time.