LESSON: Night operations



LESSON: Night operations

OBJECTIVE:

To develop the students understanding of the elements of night operations

References

PHOAK 17-22, AFH 10-2, FAR 61.57, FAR 91.205© , power point presentation, youtube link.

Attention/Motivation

Flying at night is better in many ways than during the day, lower winds, better airplane performance, less air traffic. However, there are some additional factors that must be taken into account when operating at night

Night Vision (AFH) – Open to Chapter 10

• Human eyes do not function as well at night. They eye require a lot of light and Oxygen.

o Rods - Located around the cones. Provides peripheral vision. They detect movement, without detail or color, only shades of gray. Because they are more sensitive to light than cones they make night vision possible, but require off center viewing because there are no cones in the center of the eye.

o Cones - Located in the center of the retina. Cones detect color detail, and work best in daylight with direct viewing

• Both the Rods and Cones are used during day Use Power Point Presentation

• Dark Adaptation

o Stay out of bright light from 30 minutes:

o Cones adjust in 5-10 minutes, and eyes become 100 times more sensitive to light

o Rods adjust in 30 minutes, and eyes become 100,000 time more sensitive

o In bright lighting conditions the eyes read just almost instantly and require re adaptation to dark conditions

o White light can cause temporary blindness and illusions

o Impaired by cabin altitudes over 5,000 carbon monoxide and, Vitamin A deficiency

• Eyesight degrades with:

o Fatigue, illness, smoking, drugs, alcohol, oxygen deprivation, lack of vitamins.

Night illusions Airplane Flying Handbook Chapter 10-3

• False horizons - Sloping cloud banks, slanted ground, road lighting, moving trains, northern lights

• Autokinesis - Starting at a point of light makes it appear to move

• Flicker vertigo - Strobes can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, confusion, even unconsciousness

• Black-hole - When approaching straight in or over water or non-lighted terrain the illusion causes the pilot to be lower than thought resulting in touchdown prior to the runway. To prevent it, use a VASI or glide-slope or fly over the airport and join a normal traffic pattern

• Bright runway and Approach lighting systems - creates illusion of being closer to the runway

• Lights in clouds, haze or smoke can cause distortions in objects appearance.

• Bright lights appear closer, and dim ones farther away resulting in high or low approaches.

Pilot Equipment

• Flashlights - At last two (with spare batteries for all):

▪ Large white light flashlight for preflight, and ice checks (if IFR)

▪ Small red or Blue light for use in cockpit. Red or blue light does not destroy night vision

• Note: Red light will make chart colored (red) features difficult to see

• Aircraft Equipment

• 91.205c in addition to equipment needed for VFR day flight, the airplane also needs:

▪ Approved position lights

▪ An approved aviation red or aviation white anti-collision light system

▪ if the aircraft is operated for hire, one electric landing light

▪ An adequate source of electrical energy for all installed electrical and radio equipment

▪ One spare set of fuses, or three space fuses of each kind required, that are accessible to the pilot in flight

• Position lights must be turned on from sunset to sunrise, anti-collision lights whenever engine running (Day or Night)

• Airport and Position Lighting Aids

• Rotating beacon colors at 3 minute mark

▪ White - Green - Civilian Land

▪ White - White-Green- Military

▪ White - Yellow - Civilian Sea

▪ White - Green - Yellow - Heliport

• Taxi way lights: Blue edge, green center lights,

• Runway lights: White runway lights-yellow in last 2,000ft

▪ Intensity can often be adjusted by pilot or tower

▪ Check the Chart supplements for lighting specifications and pilot-controlled lighting

• Obstacle lights: Red steady, flashing and strobes

• Preparation & Preflight

▪ Definition of night and how to determine the beginning and end of civil twilight. FAR Part 1

▪ FAR requirements for carrying passengers at night FAR 61.57

▪ Review of weather

▪ Clean windows and windshield

▪ During preflight - ensure position lights, landing lights, anti -collision and instrument and interior lights work

▪ Adjust interior lights to minimum brightness

Startup, Taxi & Run-up AFH 10-6

o Cockpit Management

o Lights on before starting

o Taxi with landing or if equipped taxi lights on.

▪ Taxi slowly, and use yellow taxi centerlines

▪ Run-up - Airplane movement is harder to detect at night

Takeoff, climb & Go-around

o Flight Instruments should be used since there are fewer outside visual references

o Ensure positive rate of climb using the flight instruments and any outside indications

Approaches & Landings

o Making sure to positively Identify the airport as soon as possible. Identify the runways

o Distance perception may be distorted. Use navigation instruments

o If the heading indicator has a bug, set it to runway heading to help with orientation in the traffic pattern

o Fly a stabilized approach: Maintain proper airspeed and glideslope. use glide slope indicator if available

o In the round out and flare judgement of height, speed & sink rate is more difficult due to less features available to see.

▪ Inexperienced pilots tend to fly the approach to slow and flare too high

▪ Practice landing without using the landing light -use runway lights in peripheral vision to determine your height above the runway

Night Emergencies

o Engine failure

▪ The number of choices will be less

▪ Choosing an emergency landing area away from congestion, but near public access

o Alternator. Attempt to re-set the alternator by circuit breaker and / or by cycling off then on the alternator side of the master switch

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