Questions tagged [night-flying]
For questions regarding flying in conditions without natural lighting.
14
questions
24
votes
2
answers
37k
views
How does the FAA define day and night?
For the purposes of regulations how do the FARS define daytime? Is it sunrise to sunset, civil twilight, astronomical twilight?
This question was asked before with regards to EASA rules, but FAA was ...
- 28.4k
17
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How should night time be determined and logged in a fast westbound plane?
You take off from KFLL (Ft Lauderdale, FL) an hour before sunset in a B737. You're heading to KSEA (Seattle, WA).
4:35PM EST plus 6 hours 34 minutes is 11:09PM EST, or 8:09PM PST. Seattle sunset was ...
- 902
22
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is an eclipse considered 'night' for regulatory purposes?
A partial or total eclipse is as dark as twilight, but only for a short period. Does it count as night flying for regulatory purposes?
I'm looking for a UK answer, but information about the US is ...
- 12.6k
10
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Can spatial disorientation in low visibility situations lead a pilot to fly upside down?
In this comment it's mentioned that pilots in instrument conditions may wind up in a situation where they're inverted due to spatial disorientation, and be completely unaware of it until they fly out ...
- 71k
17
votes
1
answer
13k
views
What is the night effect?
I read the night effect takes place in radio navigation, especially VOR and NDB. My questions are:
What is its nature?
Why does it occur?
What are the consequences of it?
- 2,771
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How should night time be calculated when it is not night during the entire flight? [duplicate]
I am B777 rated pilot and software developer. Nowadays I am working on an application about flights and this app has to calculate night time. Still I am trying to figure out how to calculate night ...
- 143
26
votes
5
answers
8k
views
How hard is it to fly with night vision goggles?
I was talking to a Sheriff's Department helicopter pilot and he was saying they fly around at night with night vision goggles. I know the military does too.
What are some of the considerations that ...
- 8,392
18
votes
4
answers
43k
views
Is flying during the day safer than flying at night?
Is there any correlation between night or day flight time and rate of accidents?
To me it seems that there should not be a difference. If an airplane needs to execute an emergency landing, it has to ...
- 303
9
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Does the FAA require a rating for night VFR?
Does a PPL require a specific rating or endorsement for night VFR in the US? Night flying seems like a special challenge and I'd think the FAA would want you to show that you've had proper training ...
- 28.4k
8
votes
2
answers
952
views
At what altitude might a pilot be able to see at least the brightest stars during the day?
In this comment I pondered if I should ask:
"Did Test pilot and astronaut Joseph A. Walker see stars during the day when flying the X-15 above the Karman line?
But instead, I'll just ask at what ...
- 5,768
5
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Why do fighter pilots use night vision goggles rather than normal light inside the cockpit?
I've seen military personnel using night vision goggles (NVGs). With their flight altitude, I don't think the enemy can notice them. I thought it may be due to eye strain, but other units use red ...
- 131
5
votes
1
answer
310
views
What is "scintillation" and are "qualified pilots" aware of it?
This answer to Has great eyesight been necessary for astronomers? mentions Astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell's recounting of a likely first visual observation of a pulsar. This can be found for example ...
- 5,768
3
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What counts as "night" for a student pilot's night landings? [duplicate]
According to 14 CFR 61.57, "no person may act as PIC of an aircraft carrying passengers during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise as published in the ...
- 1,137
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can I use dual time for the 10 night takeoffs and landings required in 61.129?
For the 5 night VFR hours and 10 T/O at class B/C/D required in 14 CFR 61.129(a)(4)(ii), can you mix/match solo and dual instruction (as PIC) time for these hours and landings? In other words, are ...
- 433