Night Operations - rev.
7/3/07
Flight Lesson: Night Operations
Objectives:
1. for the student to exhibit knowledge relating to the elements of night flight, including
physiology, lighting, airport operations, navigation, FARs
2. gain experience flying at night
Justification:
1. many flights require night operations
2. develops student’s confidence in navigation and night operations
3. there are minimum night requirements for the private pilot checkride
Schedule:
Activity Est. Time
Ground 0.75
Preflight/Taxi 0.5
Flight 1.0
Debrief 0.25
Total 2.50
Elements Ground: • takeoff and departure
• night physiology • navigation
• the eye • approaches and landings
• adaptation • emergencies
• scanning • applicable FARs
• night equipment Elements Air:
• personal • night takeoffs and landings
• aircraft • night cross country
• aircraft lighting
• airport lighting
Completion Standards:
1. when the student understands the physiology of night flight
2. when the student understands the lighting configurations of airplanes and airports for night
operations
3. when the student understands what is required of oneself and aircraft to be able to flight at
night
4. when the student is able to competently takeoff, land, and navigate at night
Common Errors:
• fails to use night scanning technique to locate traffic
• high and fast landing approach
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Night Operations - rev. 7/3/07
Presentation Ground:
Night Physiology
1. The eye
(1) light rays pass through the pupil of the eye and are focused by the lens onto the retina,
which is a light sensitive layer at the back of the eye
(2) cones
i. central part of the retina contains cone cells, which are most effective in daylight and
least effective in darkness
ii. cones allow us to see color, small details, and distant objects
(3) rods
i. the outer band of the retina contains rod cells, which are responsible for your
peripheral vision, and are effective in both daylight and darkness
ii. they are sensitive to movement, but not to detail or color, and so only register black,
white, and gray
2. adaptation
(1) it takes the eyes about 30 minutes to adapt to a dark environment
(2) the rate at which dark adaptation occurs depends on the contrast between the level of
brightness and the level of darkness of the new environment
i. for this reason, bright lighting should be avoided prior to night flying
ii. this is not to say, don’t preflight with a flashlight or flight plan in a dark room. just
minimize the amount of exposure
iii. the best thing to do is dim the cockpit lights during taxi
(3) also, smoking reduces the amount of oxygen your body gets, and thus should also be
avoided
i. it can be equivalent to adding 5000 ft in altitude
ii. fatigue, colds, alcohol, etc. effect night vision
3. scanning for other aircraft
(1) since rods are the only sensitive cells in your eyes at night
i. scanning should be done with off center viewing (peripheral view)
ii. you will see objects better when your eyes are looking to one side of the object at
night, rather than straight at them as in daylight
(2) if you suspect traffic or an object somewhere, don’t look directly at it...this may cause it
to become more “invisible”
(3) scan small parts at a time
4. other good habits
(1) close one eye when exposed to bright light to reduce effects of blinding
(2) move the eyes more slowly at night
(3) blink the eyes if they become blurry
(4) concentrate on seeing objects
(5) force the eyes to view off center
Night Equipment
1. personal equipment
(1) a flashlight is imperative to proper night operations
i. provides adequate lighting for the pre-flight inspection
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Night Operations - rev. 7/3/07
ii. colored lens (red or orange) is better for cockpit uses because it will minimize ruining
your night vision
(i) note: colored lens may reduce your ability to see certain colors (i.e. on a chart)
2. aircraft equipment
(1) the equipment necessary for night operations can be remembered with two acronyms
(2) day VFR - TOMATO FLAAMES:
i. Tachometer
ii. Oil pressure
iii. Magnetic compass
iv. Airspeed indicator
v. Temperature sensor (if liquid cooled)
vi. Oil temperature gauge (if air cooled)
vii. Fuel gauges
viii. Landing gear position indicator lights
ix. Altimeter
x. Anti-Collision lights (if manufactured after 3/11/1996)
xi. Manifold pressure gauge
xii. ELT
xiii. Seat belts
(3) Night VFR:
i. Fuses (spares) or circuit breakers
ii. Landing lights (if for hire)
iii. Anti-collision lights
iv. Position Lights
v. Source of energy (adequate to power all electrical and radio equipment)
3. aircraft lighting
(1) Position lights
i. green on right, red on left, white on rear
ii. scenarios:
(i) red-to-green is potentially dangerous
(ii) same color to same color is safe
iii. on required on between sunset and sunrise
(2) anti-collision lights
i. can either be a red beacon or white strobe lights
ii. they must be on at all times (except in the interest of safety)
4. airport lighting
(1) airport beacon
i. designed to help a pilot visually locate an airport from some distance away
ii. some transmit pulses of light, some rotate, but the effect is the same
(i) Green - White - Green - White = civil airport
(ii) G - W - W - G - W -W = military airport
(iii) Yellow - W - Y - W = helicopter landing
(2) taxiway lighting
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Night Operations - rev. 7/3/07
iii. taxiways are lit in two possible ways
(i) two lines of blue lights that mark the edges of the taxiway
(ii) one line of green lights marking the center of the taxiway
iv. centerline lights are flush (or almost) with the ground and ca be taxied over
v. edge lights are not flush
vi. there may be red “stop bars” installed, indicating where an airplane should hold
position
(3) runway lighting
i. runway lighting defines the boundaries of the actual landing area
ii. some advanced systems provide distance down the runway information as well
(i) not necessary for VFR pilots who should be able to see the end of the runway
iii. runway edge lights :white lights that outline the edges of runways during periods of
restricted visibility or darkness
iv. runway end lights :have two colors, showing green at the near end to the aircraft on
approach, and red to the airplanes stopping at the far end
v. runway end identified lights (REIL) :pair of synchronized flashing white lights located
on each side of the runway threshold at the approach end
(i) server to identify runways surrounded by lots of other lights, or in poor visibility
(4) visual approach slope indicators (VASI)
i. two bar red-on white VASI
(i) red over white- on glide path
(ii) white over white - above glide path
(iii) red over red - below glide path
(iv) only provides guaranteed obstacle clearance 4 NM out from threshold
(5) pilot controlled lighting
i. at some airports when ATC and/or FSS are not manned 24 hours a day, airborne
control of the lighting by the pilots is sometimes available using a VNF-COM frequency
(usually the CTAF)
ii. The A/FD specifies the type of PCL available and the frequency it is activated on
(i) sectional and terminal charts have a * next to lighting indication if “some
limitations on lighting exist”
a. usually this implies pilot controlled lighting
iii. to activate, “key” the mike between 3 and 7 times within 5 seconds.
(i) this will give low, medium, or high intensity depending on how many keys, and
what is available
iv. lights will stay on for 15 minutes from last “keying” so reactivation is a good idea as
you enter the pattern
Takeoff and Departure
1. flight at night is similar to flying in the daytime, only there is a lack of visual references
(1) instruments must be references a lot more at night
2. the key to night fling is caution:
(1) make sure the instruments can be read well
(2) make sure traffic separation is assured
3. when on the runway, alight aircraft between runway edge lights (or centerline)
4. takeoff technique is the same.
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Night Operations - rev. 7/3/07
1. at correct speed rotate to the climb attitude by looking outside, AND the instruments
2. ensure aircraft continues a positive rate of climb by monitoring the altitude indicator and
VSI
Navigation
1. as with all flights requiring navigation, get all possible information concerning the flight
2. VFR cloud clearances and visibility apply for night flight
(1) typically 500 ft below, 1000 ft above, 2000 ft horizontal; 3 miles visibility
3. continually scan the sky for aircraft
4. during cross country
(1) lighting in the cockpit should be reduced so your vision will stay adapted
(2) it is good to choose well lit landmarks for pilotage (including cities which are highlighted
in yellow on charts)
(3) use radio navigation to its full potential
(4) be aware of all lit and unlit obstructions which may pose a hazard on your route of flight
Approaches and Landings
1. as possible, landings at night should be no different than landings during the day
2. important to identify an airport as soon as possible ( in any approach situation, but
especially night operations) so the pilot can plan for proper traffic pattern entry
3. in an unfamiliar area, the runway may be hard to identify, and in this case, look for the
beacon
4. distances, altitudes, and airspeeds cannot be determined as well as during the day (due to
lack of references) thus a reliance on instruments may be required more
(1) inexperienced pilots have a tendency to make approaches with excessive speed
5. upon entering pattern, crosscheck the instruments for altitude and airspeed, as well as
looking out for position in the pattern
6. on final, align the aircraft with the runway lights, and when possible, use the VASI for glide
slope information
7. make sure the landing light is on to assist with the landing
8. round out and touchdown should be made in the same manner as day, but your judgement
of height, speed, and sink will be impaired.
(1) use clues such as landing light against the runway, or the height of the runway end
lights compared to y our airplane to aid in judgement
(2) look over nose down the end of the runway
Night Emergencies
1. if an engine fails at night, the pilot must react as during the day
2. pilot will not be able to pick a field as easily
3. flight away from congested areas is recommended and orientation of wind direction should
be maintained to avoid downwind landings
4. when landing, if unable to see the ground, the plane should be kept level until the ground
is contacted
(1) never allow the plane to stall
Night Currency
1. pilot must have flown three takeoffs and landings to a full stop between one hour after
sunset, and one hour before sunrise within 90 days
2. night landings count for day landings for currency
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Presentation Air:
1. night pattern work
(1) Takeoffs and departures
(2) approaches and landings
2. night cross country
(1) navigation and orientation practice
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