Alexander Loegering
Flight9POINT5
10/31/2016
Night Flying (Ground)
Admin
Objective: Understand the factors that affect pilots during night operations.
Materials: AFH Chapter 10.
Prerequisites: Solo.
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Attention: Night flying video (Afterburners, V-22 vortices, .
WIIFM: One of my favorite flights is going down the coast at night on a VFR transition over LAX.
If timed properly, you can see the airliners stacked all the way out past Palm Springs in two nice
lines waiting to come in for landings. Another one is down in San Diego, taking a VFR transition
over the top of Miramar when the Navy F-18s are taking off at full afterburner. Night flying
offers many amazing benefits, but as with everything in aviation, there are considerations.
Lesson:
Physiological aspects of night flying
1. Rods vs. Cones.
Use off-center viewing at night. Stay out of bright light for 30 minutes:
Cones adjust in 5-10 minutes, and eyes become 100 times more sensitive to light
Rods adjust in 30 minutes, and eyes become 100,000 times more sensitive
Back in light, eyes readjust almost instantly: readjustment must be repeated
White light can cause temporary blindness and illusions (artificial horizons)
Use peripheral (off-center) viewing at night
2. Oxygen and vision
Dilution, even by going as high as 5,000 feet, can result in poor vision
Use supplemental oxygen, if available
Smoking is bad. Fatigue, colds, vitamin deficiency, alcohol, drugs, also.
II. Illusions
1. False horizons as a result of sloping cloud banks, slanted freeway lighting or other ground
lighting, moving trains, northern lights
2. Autokinesis: staring at a point of light makes it appear to move
3. Flicker vertigo: flashing lights including the strobes can cause physical reactions including
nausea, dizziness, headaches, confusion, even unconsciousness
4. Lights in clouds/haze/smoke can cause distortions.
5. Black-hole effect when approaching over water or non-lighted terrain: runway as only source
of light may make orientation difficult: use instruments and VASI, go around
Alexander Loegering
Flight9POINT5
10/31/2016
6. Bright lights appear closer, dim ones farther away: can result in high or low approach
III. Preflight
1. Clean windows and windshield
2. Flashlights work, spare batteries available
3. Position light and navigation lights work
4. Adjust interior lights to minimum brightness
IV. Airport procedures
1. Position lights on sunset to sunrise, anticollision lights whenever engine running, landing light
as necessary for taxi. Try not to blind other people. "Operation Lights On"
2. Blue taxiway lights, white runway lights-yellow in last 2000 ft, rotating beacon colors
3. Check the A/FD for lighting specifications and pilot-controlled lighting
V. Flying: Do everything the same way, but use more instrument data
1. Do not make flights in marginal or poor weather conditions.
2. Take care not to fly into clouds. Indications may be haziness or haloes of ground lights.
3. Learn straight-and-level, climbs/descents, turns, steep turns, unusual attitude recovery
4. emergencies such as electrical failure and emergency landing
5. approaches with and without landing lights, go-arounds
Practice: Preflight
Common Errors:
Not all equipment (e.g. flashlights) ready
Poor cockpit organization
Inadequate instrument cross-check
Unusual attitude
Poor pattern work: final too low/high
Off-center viewing not used
Checklists not being use
Questions:
Q