Objective:
To develop the student's ability to maintain aircraft control and orientation while flying at night with limited visual reference.
Elements:
- Discuss factors related to night vision
- Proper adjustment of interior lights
- Importance red lens lighting
- Preflight inspection for night operation
- Taxiing and orientation on an airport
- Flight attitude by reference to flight instruments
- Disorientation and night optical illusions
- Recovery from unusuall attitudes
- Emergencies such as electrical failure, engine malfunction, and emergency landings
- Approaches and landings with and without aircraft landing lights
- Discuss runway optical illusions at night
- Runway light intensities and the effects on depth perception
Common Errors:
- Not having a flashlight for the preflight with 'D' cells.
- Using a white light in the cockpit and not red filtered.
- Inadvertent cloud entry (Cloud clearances for night operations)
- Not calling ahead to make sure destination airport, if closed, offers services after hours.
- Failure to recognize changes in depth perception
References:
- Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) - Chapter 2
- Airplane Flying Handbook, pp 10-1 – 10-8
- Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge pp. 15-10 through 15-12
Notes:
30 min. night adeptation
Night blind spot (Cones focal point)
Rods vs. Cones
VFR Night
F uses
L anding light
A nti-collision
P osition lights
S ource of energy
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