NCYankee wrote:
In the US, much is covered by regulation. Night is defined in 1.1 as:Night means the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the Air Almanac, converted to local time.
EASA has the same definition, although phrased differently. But the question here is not about the definition of night, but about when you can use an airport when no particular operating hours have been published.
I’m not sure if the above is accurate, the homebuilt I fly is night approved and all other RVs built over here in the past 10 years are as well. If microlight = 600 LSA ultralight then many factory built types are advertised as EASA night VFR approved
I was a bit sloppy, yes you can get NVFR in some permit to fly aeroplanes (old Cub I flew was on permit-to-fly and it was equipped for night with electric battery, we have flown it at night in UK), I am not sure Microlights, my understanding they have to be down before SS+30
In most of the US other than Alaska, night begins roughly at a half hour after sunset. Civil twilight is when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon and one can still read a news paper in the ambient light for much of that time between sunset and night. So before the end of civil twilight, obstacles may be seen without lighting.Of course there is always 91.13 Careless or reckless operation.Approaches are often prohibited at night, usually when the final approach path is not clear of obstacles on a 20 to 1 slope. There are other regulations that apply to carrying passengers, after 1 hour past sunset (dark night), pilots must have accomplished three takeoffs and landings to a full stop during the last 90 days during the
Yes plenty of IFR approaches are prohibited at night, especially short final and circling !
What regulations make public or private US airport “approved” for Night VFR operations?
I think is one seaplane in Alaska with lights buried deep in lake underwater 
“But the question here is not about the definition of night, but about when you can use an airport when no particular operating hours have been published.”
A transatlantic ferry pilot expected to reach Scotland at night. All the airports were closed. The he spotted EGEF Fair Isle had no times listed. So he departed IFR for.EGEF Fair Isle. No response to radio. No lights visible when he descended.. A young airforce controller at Kinloss got an award for hearing his faint 121.5 message and guiding him to land there with little fuel left.
Interesting, and this shows how easy is to get things wrong. Sometimes one needs to ask a question which seems too obvious to most.
On NVGs, I know of a pilot here who used to land an SR22 with the NV option, in grass strips, at night, with no runway lights. He posted more recently that he doesn’t do it anymore.
Even in WW2, the Brit flights into occupied France (agent insertion and collection) needed runway lights, so this is not the question.
In the US, even if the airport is non towered or the tower is closed, the lights are pilot activated. The rotating beacon is on all night and usually you click 5 times on the Unicom frequency (or tower frequency) to turn on the lights. At my airport, 3, 5, or 7 clicks turns on the MALSR and runway lights at low, medium, or high intensity and they stay on for 15 minutes.
What about private aerodromes? can they install PCL? do they need “night certification”?
Say UT25 Monument Valley airport
I presume private airports can install PCL, although it is likely expensive and would need FAA approval for the frequency, etc.
Private strips often have PCL but unofficially, using SMS. These strips are H24 because there is no regulation saying otherwise. In some cases, if they have planning permission, they may be limited, but most UK strips are running under the 28 day rule, avoiding the additional scrutiny which a planning application would entail.
In the UK, a Licensed airfield is not allowed to have PCL (lighting controlled by clicks on the airfield VHF frequency) publicly. For many years it was not realised that Unlicensed airfields could have it The CAA deliberately propagated the “lack of knowledge” for decades.
Private strips often have PCL but unofficial, using SMS.
Do you know examples having lights with SMS system?
I don’t know that many strips with lights that are open to non-visitors, Fowlmere does have temporary lights installed during winter, I recall someone switch lights ON/OFF (Sandown does it but only for late night departures after the barbecue)
In the UK, a Licensed airfield is not allowed to have PCL publicly. For many years it was not realised (and the CAA deliberately propagated the myth) that Unlicensed airfields could have it
Licensed airfields need ATC, AFIS or AG during opening hours anyway, so having PCL is odd?
During unlicensed hours, I am not sure how much of that is true or myth but yes empirically it looks like regulator or aerdromes are not keen on installing PCL…Redhill (ATC) & Fairoaks (AFIS) are licensed and have PCL for out of hours without ATS (night circuits are prohibited)
Do you know examples having lights with SMS system?
Of course, but I am not going to post them There are off the shelf products for this purpose, although remote control by SMS is pretty common; even I used to make such a box.
I don’t know that many strips with lights that are open to non-visitors,
Most “strips” are by invitation.
Licensed airfields need ATC, AFIS or AG during opening hours anyway
Not actually so (in the UK) because you can be unlicensed during certain hours, but that’s another topic.
During unlicensed hours, I am not sure how much of that is true or myth but yes empirically it looks like regulator or aerdromes are not keen on installing PCL…Redhill (ATC) & Fairoaks (AFIS) are licensed and have PCL for out of hours without ATS (night circuits are prohibited)
Those airfields are closely watched and pressured by the CAA, due to large airport proximity. Even Shoreham is a “machine gun target” due to the high political visibility Hunter crash (which was completely irrelevant to Shoreham).
On the original topic, it remains interesting what the actual regulation is, or even if there is one. I reckon that in most countries there isn’t one and it is purely down to what the landowner is happy with. Out of political necessity, EASA has very limited jurisdiction when it comes to ground ops, so it will be country-dependent.
And no lights are legally needed; you could operate with an image intensifier system like NVGs use. The SR22 option does image intensification overlaid with thermal. Thermal alone would not be effective for locating a grass strip, but would probably work for tarmac. But NVGs need special training.
