Night VFR cross country?
07-08-2007, 09:31 PM
#1
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Night VFR cross country?
I'm doing my solo day VFR cross country this weekend. I can understand day VFR because, you can landmarks, roads, etc. But how can a VFR pilot do night cross countries? That's my next phase after my solo, so just wondering how. Do you relay on VOR, and cities, ATC, GPS?
07-08-2007, 10:04 PM
#3
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You (and your instructor - there is no requirement to do a private night XC solo) will use all the navigation resources available to you - pilotage, VOR's, GPS, ect to make the trip. Consider doing it on a full moon, or nearly full moon night. Make sure the WX is excellent. Keep good terrain beneath you at all times (preferably plan a trip at enough altitude to allow you to glide to an available airport if you had too). Consider doing the night XC over the same route you just did the day XC. That way you have the experience of already seeing it.
Have fun! Doing the night VFR XC is one of the highlights of your training.
Have fun! Doing the night VFR XC is one of the highlights of your training.
Last edited by WEACLRS; 07-08-2007 at 10:15 PM.
07-08-2007, 10:56 PM
#4
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At night is very easy to spot towns, major highways, and cities... I had a hard time at first spotting airports; since the lighting blends with cities. Now is second nature to me, also at night you get alot illusions you should know about.
07-09-2007, 02:19 AM
#5
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I think it will be easier to spot airports at night because you will see runway lights, and airport beacon from miles. My first two airports are uncontrolled airports, so i'll have to key the mike to light up the runway. The third will be KAUS, so it should be easier.
07-09-2007, 03:50 AM
#6
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Originally Posted by WEACLRS
Consider doing it on a full moon, or nearly full moon night. Make sure the WX is excellent.
HaHaHa........thats funny. I can't remember the last time I even saw the moon in Dallas
07-09-2007, 06:22 AM
#7
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And one of the best things about night flying...other air traffic shows up MUCH better than day. It's no problem identifying a target 10-15 miles away at night, where you wouldn't have a chance seeing something at that distance in the daylight.
07-09-2007, 06:52 AM
#8
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I prefer to fly at night, because in FLA the afternoon T-storms have gone, and the air is soooooooooo much smoother, and there's no a/c in the airplane, so it's alot cooler in the cabin..........
Daytime flying in summer in FLA, gets bumpy until you climb to around 6000-8000 feet......and then the clouds start building up so you are looking to land around 1-3pm before the big *** t-storms start.
I also agree that seeing the cities and the airports (especially if they have an ILS) are easier. Watching the lights come on when you click the radio was the "coolest" thing for me on my 1st night flight.
Daytime flying in summer in FLA, gets bumpy until you climb to around 6000-8000 feet......and then the clouds start building up so you are looking to land around 1-3pm before the big *** t-storms start.
I also agree that seeing the cities and the airports (especially if they have an ILS) are easier. Watching the lights come on when you click the radio was the "coolest" thing for me on my 1st night flight.
07-09-2007, 08:59 AM
#10
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Just be careful about airport beacons. On more than one occasion, students have lined up for the wrong runway or thought they were somewhere because they saw a beacon. Have some reference to double check your position at every checkpoint. Case in point: at Huntsville, AL (KHSV) there is a military field surrounded by restricted areas about 5-7 miles east of the airport. At night, it can be really easy to line up for Redstone Arsenal (the military base) unless you pay attention and see the 2 white flashes instead of the single white you need.
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