Airborne_Again wrote:
CFIT. I know of at least two CFIT night VFR accidents in Sweden – both fatal – but none caused by engine failure. (One case where the pilot was flying in hilly terrain below the MSA and one where the pilot apparently (or so was the investigators’ best guess) under-read the altimeter by 1000 ft while flying over flat terrain.)
Coming from the country where night VFR cross country doesn’t exist, I don’t take it as a risk because it doesn’t exist for me.
I was myself once unpleasantly close to coming to grief by the black hole effect during a night visual approach. I found myself at 300 ft AGL over water while still several miles from the runway. (Sure, it was IFR but in this respect no different from an approach under VFR.)
Descending below DA/MDA on IFR approach is a mistake not related specifically to night approaches, so no higher risk at night. Continuing the approach at night (the same as in IMC) to DA/MDA according to instruments regardless being visual absolutely mitigates this risk.
Tango wrote:
you need either the one T/O and landing OR “Hold an IR”
Affirm. IR holders don’t need to be night current. In Germany at least (although EASA should be valid in all of the EASian countries…)
Once you didn’t renew it you no longer hold the IR…“hold” means: valid.
I haven’t flown my own plane at night for years, mainly because my engine instrument lights aren’t illuminated. Everything else is well lit up by an Aero Enhancements panel overlay. I was encouraged to fix that situation on July 4th, watching a fireworks display and seeing two ULs in loose formation making big racetrack orbits overhead. They then departed the area and headed to an unattended airport about 70 nm north of here, following the motorway while I watched them occasionally on ADS-B. It really looked like a lot of fun, and I think in cruising around they viewed quite a few displays that night.
A valid Euro IR gives you passenger night carriage privileges.
This was done because when JAA brought in some rules, it was realised that (due to a drafting cockup) airline pilots could not legally fly at night, so a rapid fix was developed and this was the form 
It doesn’t make sense, but then night flight without proper IFR capability doesn’t make sense either, but let’s not kick the sleeping bulldog 
The above doesn’t apply to the FAA IR.
@Peter I don’t get the thesis that night flight doesn’t make sense without an IR. If you develop that further the conclusion is that VFR wouldn’t make sense at all.
Maybe in terms of absolute flight numbers VFR night is negligible. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t make sense. To me it made perfectly sense for 25 years. It was only topped by the IR but you can fly a lot without IR. My flying doesn’t depend on it. I may well choose to fly microlight one day (and some countries start to allow VFR night in these..)
VFR on a proper night (not the sunset plus 31 minutes normally used) and away from well lit ground, is fully instrument flight. Disbelieve it at your peril
Peter wrote:
away from well lit ground, is fully instrument flight
And there’s no way someone would be able to hand-fly the aircraft in such condition without AI or similar instrument, so by definition it’s instrument flight.
Emir wrote:
got hit by a laser, yes it happened to me…
Inconvenient and dangerous but hardly more dangerous than engine failure.
Not sure I would agree with you on that one. A few years ago HEMS pilot lost eyesight forever after a laser strike in the vicinity of my airport.
Emir wrote:
3. weather, especially icing at this time of year, the risk is not night time specific but night makes it an order of magnitude greater
More-less same risk day and night, nothing specific for nigh flying.
Again, YMMV Just landed after a short nigh flight. The aircraft was ca 7 knots slower than is should have been. Tried to light the flashlight over the wings to find the root cause. Nothing. Only after landing I’ve noticed clear ice.
Emir wrote:
Descending to pitch black with no lights on runway and no instrument guiding, no info on obstacles, based on DIY approach with no engine(s) is pretty brave
It doesn’t require superhuman skills but it certainly requires proper equipment.
Emir wrote:
Coming from the country where night VFR cross country doesn’t exist, I don’t take it as a risk because it doesn’t exist for me.
Then why did you ask about night VFR risks!?
Descending below DA/MDA on IFR approach is a mistake not related specifically to night approaches, so no higher risk at night. Continuing the approach at night (the same as in IMC) to DA/MDA according to instruments regardless being visual absolutely mitigates this risk.
A visual approach doesn’t have a DA/MDA.
I’ve flown at night when possible. At one time our Jodel DR1050 was night capable. After she was wrecked, I flew rental at night. The last time I got a night check-out, everyone was going home and solo was not possible.
I’ve planned getting the Bolkow night permitted but LAA rules changed. Maybe this year.
On a check-out, near Inverness, I had been asked to do 360° turns. While doing so, the instructor suddenly dived forward, and I thought he was shining a light on the roof while making sounds to distract me. Then I realised a laser was shining on us.
An almost new Robin on a night training flight from Inverness was ditched in the Cromarty Firth after an engine failure, due to a fly left in the carb from new.
They carried lifejackets, but did not wear them. Both exited without them – the student drowned.
