AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - 104
FLY WITH AOPA
ASI SAFET Y TIPS /
Night falls
10 tips for flying in the dark
BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN
7. Use the autopilot extensively if you've
got one.
8. Load an instrument approach in your
GPS navigator, preferably one with vertical
guidance, even when flying in visual
conditions. If none are available, use the
OBS mode to provide a course to follow
that aligns with the landing runway.
9. Make full use of PAPI and VASI lights
to stay clear of obstacles on final approach
and expect the rush of runway edge lights
to make it feel like you're flying too fast.
10. After landing, as you taxi to the ramp,
turn off your landing lights as a courtesy
to marshalers.
dave.hirschman@aopa.org
FLY ING AT NIGHT presents additional
challenges for pilots, but also rewards.
Night conditions can be especially
smooth, serene, and visually captivating-and
there's usually far less air traffic.
But just as daytime flight conditions vary,
that's especially true at night.
Flying over the Los Angeles Basin on
a clear night under a full moon, for example,
has little in common with traversing
Lake Superior under an overcast and new
moon. One is a light show. The other is like
diving in an ocean of black ink.
Here are 10 tips to make night flights
more enjoyable and less stressful.
1. Plan a route that avoids large bodies
of water, mountains, or remote terrain.
Such places are devoid of any visible horizon
and that can make staying oriented
difficult.
2. Know well in advance how to dim
your avionics. As the sun goes down and
104
AOPA PILOT / October 2024
darkness sets in, avionics screens can
become distractingly bright and increase
unwanted reflections.
3. Test your flashlight before you get in the
airplane, keep it within easy reach, and
bring extra batteries. Better yet, bring an
extra flashlight.
4. An LED headlamp is ideal for preflight
inspections because it keeps your hands
free to check oil, fasten latches, and touch
things. If you can wear that headlamp in
the airplane, do it.
5. If flying VFR, get flight following.
Having an air traffic controller to provide
vectors to an airport and help keep
you away from high terrain can be a lifesaver.
But realize ATC is a backstop for
VFR pilots and IFR aircraft are any controller's
priority.
6. Realize it's easy to blunder into clouds at
night so be ready to shift to an instrument
scan-and trust your instruments.
Night Flying
Accident Analysis
Report 2017-2021 /
The AOPA Air Safety Institute's
Night Flying Accident Analysis
Report 2017-2021 reveals four
defining accident causes that
make up the majority of all nightflying
accidents. Loss of control in
flight leads all night-time accident
causes, followed by engine and
propeller failure, fuel-related,
and loss of control on the ground
accidents. Learn more about
pitfalls of night flight operations
and ASI's recommendations for
staying safe.
airsafetyinstitute.org/NightFlying
http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/NightFlying
AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024
Contents
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2024 - Cover3
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