The Night Stuff

Night flying can be something of pure joy, right up there with your first solo. It can also be dangerous.

The FAA’s introduction to night flying in its Airplane Flying Handbook says “Your aircraft doesn’t know it’s flying at night, but your body sure does. You better consider that, and adapt …”

Night, in an aviation sense, is defined in CASA’s Visual Flight Rules Guide (VFRG), as “That period of time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight.” It’s easiest to find that information by using an EFB, like AvPlan, which shows the information at the top left of all airport pages.

The joys

On a crystal-clear night, the bird’s-eye visibility and views are purpose-made for eager passengers. Those views include the landscape, things like beaches, rivers, lakes, sunsets, and sun rises, and snowy mountains; human made structures, like well-lit cities, stadiums, sports grounds, and airports; celestial bodies like the moon, planets, and stars, and of course, other aircraft lit up like Christmas trees.

In hot climates, where daytime temperatures soar, cooler temperatures for night flying are welcome. With that cooler air comes comfort, and smooth flights. If it gets too cold, there is always the heater.

With cooler air, also comes better aircraft performance. At night, there’s often less turbulence, and there’s less traffic. You might have the