Thanks all I am just finishing my night rating, now not feeling confident about using it!!!!!
Thanks all I am just finishing my night rating, now not feeling confident about using it!!!!!
I think that is the wrong takeaway. You never get better unless you practice. It is right to be cautious as night VFR is very tricky but that is it.
It is a little like people getting an instrument rating and then saying they never intend to use it. If you want to be able to use it when you need it, better to use it as much as possible although obviously tempering your personal minima to what you feel comfortable with.
markpodbery, I guess that some apprehension is what to expect with having only little experience and hearing a lot about accidents and risk.
Here's my suggestions for making your start into night flying easy, comfortable and safe. It is based on having instructed for the NQ for 9 years, and having flown night VFR frequently since 1994 - all in SEP aircraft.
Fly an aircraft you know well and are comfortable flying. One with good interior and exterior lighting and preferably IFR equipped. Increase your fuel reserves to 90 minutes. Be picky about which passengers to bring along, if any. Don't forget maps and working flashlights, and check those NOTAM's. Know your GPS well so you can use it without it taking your attention away from flying. If possible, fly where terrain is no factor and land on runways with PAPI/VASI. "V" in VFR is for visual - avoid large areas with no visual references on the ground.
Don't fly in the dark on windy nights unless you have trained for night crosswind landings on runways without centre line lights. Fly when the moon is up! it makes a great difference to both comfort and safety, and looks nice.
For your first flights take off around sunset and make yourself at home in the cockpit, so you'll get used to darkness slowly. Then you can still land in the dusk if you are not comfortable.
And then - keep doing it. I do not consider night VFR flying to be "very tricky", but currency is a good thing.
I received my first hour's instruction toward the night rating over the weekend. What an experience.
My initial thoughts:
Good bits
Not so good bits
Still, you only live once so I'm up for doing more of it.
Wonderful, isn't it? 
But how did you find your first landing? I remember being taken by surprise and coming in...ah..well..fairly robustly, shall we say. Ahem. Very difficult to judge the flare at first. There's no PAPI where I learned, or 'lead-in' lighting ahead of the actual runway. Pilots talk about a 'black hole' and it really is just that. The night qualification was great fun, and challenging. I probably won't use it very much, but it's all experience in the bag for my day flying.
Nothing beats a night landing on a large airport. It feels like landing on a Christmas tree.
Nothing beats a night landing on a large airport. It feels like landing on a Christmas tree.
Fully agree - if I have passangers I always encourage them to make a video clip of landing because it looks so nice.
Jojo: the landing happened exactly as you described! I remember seeing the runway edge lighting appear to get further apart and I started thinking "in another couple of seconds I should probably flare". Before I'd finished thinking that, we'd landed. Rather flat and firm it was too!
First time post, I always think that flying at night changes the risk. it much easier to see other aircraft at night and there are less aircraft at GA levels, the infomation service tends to be better and less cluttered. I however accept that the risks are greater given that navigation is harder, finding the airfield can be a challenge at times and the engine may get fed up.
But flying at night is enjoyable, look at the risks, plan the route and alternates as if it was an IFR flight and enjoy the benefits of smooth air, calm ATC and sights that make it getting a PPL worthwhile. I fly in southeast England where its busy during the day and most of the terrain is flat, but very black at night, however spent some time in florida where at night you could see the ground just not many places to land, so would it the area you flying make a difference?
This is not cheap (what Is) but this turbine conversion of the Cessna 210 seems to 'tick' a lot of boxes. Sure you'd never get it on the G register.
Why not? I have seen a few on D reg, so if you can fly it on a German register, you must be able to do that on a G reg with a full CoA.
