Reference: (FAA-H-8083-3B Airplane Flying Handbook Chapter 10)

Learning Objective (Index)

• Learning Objective (Index)
• Factors Related to Night Vision
• Cones
• Rods
• Night Blind Spot
• Day Blind Spot
• Night Adaptation
• Proper Adjustment of Interior Lights & Night Flashlight
• Interior Lights
• Close an Eye
• Flashlight
• Off-Center Viewing
• Disorientation & Optical Illusions
• False Horizon Illusion
• Autokinesis
• Featureless Terrain, Water Refraction and Haze
• Ground Lighting
• Night Preflight Inspection
• Pilot Equipment
• LED Flashlight
• Checklists
• Current Charts
• Airplane Equipment
• Aircraft Lighting
• Airport Equipment
• Airport Lighting
• Preflight Considerations
• Weather
• Taxiing at Night
• Engine Starting at Night
• Night Run Up
• Takeoff and Climb out
• In-Flight Orientation
• Night Emergency Procedures
• Engine Failure Procedure
• Approach
• Landings
• How to prevent landing errors due to optical illusions?
• Go-Around

Factors Related to Night Vision

Night Blind Spot

Day Blind Spot

Night Adaptation

• The eyes can take up to 30 minutes to fully adapt to night and low light conditions.
• Once the eyes have fully adapted, pilots avoid bright lights that could ruin their night vision.
• After 10 Minutes eyes become 100X more sensitive to light
• After 30 Minutes eyes become 100,000X more sensitive to light

Proper Adjustment of Interior Lights & Night Flashlight

Disorientation & Optical Illusions

False Horizon Illusion

Can provide inaccurate visual information or False horizon when attempting to align the aircraft with the actual horizon

• Sloping cloud formation
• Obscured horizon

• Aurora borealis
• Certain geometric patterns of ground lights

Autokinesis

Autokinesis occurs when our brain sees motion or movement that is not actually occurring

Featureless Terrain, Water Refraction and Haze

All of these phenomena can make the pilot feel higher and/or further away from objects and from the surface. This is due to the pilot’s lack of being able to see details.

Ground Lighting

Bright lights or bold colors advance the runway, making it appear closer.

• The pilot who does not recognize this illusion will often fly a higher approach.

Lights along a straight path, such as a road, and even lights on moving trains can be mistaken for runway and approach lights.

Night Preflight Inspection

Pilot Equipment

LED Flashlight

• An LED flashlight with red and white variable settings. Red is used in-flight while white is used for pre and post flight procedures.

Checklists

• Checklists should be on-board the aircraft and should be accurate and current. Some checklists have items that are specific to night flying.

Current Charts

• Pilots should make sure they are using current and appropriate aeronautical charts at night for obstacle and terrain avoidance.

Airplane Equipment

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Aircraft Lighting

Exterior aircraft lights make the aircraft easier to see. It is also important that we know when to turn these lights on for night operations.

Airport Equipment

Airport Lighting

Many times it can be difficult to spot an airport while flying at night. Pilots should look for the airport beacon and head in its general direction until closer.

Preflight Considerations

Weather

• Review weather reports and forecasts with particular attention to
• A narrow temperature-dew point, may indicate the possibility of fog
• Wind direction and speed, since its effect on the airplane cannot be as easily detected at night as during the day

Taxiing at Night

• Be more cautious due to reduced visibility
• Maintain situational awareness and stay on your route
• Taxi at a slower speed
• Look closely at taxiway and runway markings and signs
• Use aircraft exterior lights to be visible to other pilots
• ☎️ IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THE F* YOU ARE, STOP!!!! ATC CAN HELP YOU

Engine Starting at Night

The pilot should also take extra care at night to clear the propeller area. While turning the rotating beacon ON or flashing the airplane position lights and strobe lights helps alert people nearby to remain clear of the propeller

Night Run Up

• USE PARKING BRAKE
• When using the checklist for the before-takeoff and run-up checks during the day, any forward movement of the airplane can be detected easily.
• At night, the airplane could move forward without being noticed unless the pilot takes steps to prevent this possibility.
• Pilots should hold or lock the brakes during the run-up and be alert for any forward movement.

Takeoff and Climb out

• Flying at nighttime there is limited availability of outside visual references.
• Flight instruments should be used to a greater degree in controlling the airplane.
• The pilot should adjust the flight deck lights to a minimum brightness that will allow for reading the instruments and switches but not hinder outside vision.

In-Flight Orientation

• At night it is difficult to see clouds and restrictions to visibility, particularly on dark nights or under an overcast.
• When flying under VFR, pilots should exercise caution to avoid flying into clouds.
• The first indication of flying into clouds is the gradual disappearance of lights on the ground or a flashing effect around the cockpit because the reflection of the strobe light on the clouds
• Lighted runways, buildings, or other objects may cause illusions when seen from different altitudes. At an altitude of 2,000 feet, a group of lights on an object may be seen individually, while at 5,000 feet or higher, the same lights could appear to be one solid light mass.
• Pilots should study the night reference before a night flight

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in Florida is easier to have orientation because the populated area is a big light all the way to the north parallel with the offshore

Night Emergency Procedures

• Perhaps the greatest concern about flying a single-engine airplane at night is the possibility of a complete engine failure and the subsequent emergency landing.

Engine Failure Procedure

1. Maintain positive control of the airplane.
2. Try to determine cause of failure.
3. Announce the emergency to ATC.
4. If a good landing spot cannot be identified, turn towards an unlighted area.
5. Complete the forced landing checklist.
6. Avoid landing downwind.
7. After landing, shut down and evacuate as quickly as possible.

Approach

• When approaching the airport to enter the traffic pattern and land, it is important that the runway lights and other airport lighting be identified as early as possible.
• Sighting of the runway may be difficult until very close-in due to the amount of lights observed in the area.
• Be sure to never get low on glide path when flying at night as it may be difficult to see dark obstructions along the approach path.

Landings

• The touchdown is made in the same manner as in day landings.
• At night, the judgment of height, speed, and sink rate is impaired by the lack of observable objects in the landing area.
• An inexperienced pilot may have a tendency to round out too high.
• Continuing a constant approach descent until the landing lights reflect on the runway and tire marks on the runway can be seen clearly helps identify the point to begin the round out.

How to prevent landing errors due to optical illusions?

To prevent these illusions and their potentially hazardous consequences, pilots can:

1. Anticipate the possibility of visual illusions during approaches to unfamiliar airports, particularly at night or in adverse weather conditions.
2. Consult airport diagrams and the Chart Supplements for information on runway slope, terrain, and lighting.
3. Make frequent reference to the altimeter, especially during all approaches, day and night.
4. If possible, conduct aerial visual inspection of unfamiliar airports before landing.
5. Use Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) or Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) systems for a visual reference or an electronic glideslope, whenever they are available.
6. Utilize the visual descent point (VDP) found on many nonprecision instrument approach procedure charts.
7. Recognize that the chances of being involved in an approach accident increase when some emergency or other activity distracts from usual procedures.
8. Maintain optimum proficiency in landing procedures.

Go-Around

• Go arounds at night are accomplished with the same procedures used during the day. However, the pilot should place extra emphasis on the flight instruments to avoid an accidental stall.