PREPARATORY INSTRUCTION
Aim
For the student to become familiar with flying cross-country at night.
Motivation
Visual cues and psychological effects flying cross-country, are different at night. It is preferable that pilots first experience these in a controlled training environment.
Teaching Points
Explain the following:
- Comprehensive weather briefing and pre-flight planning are even more important than by day.
- Navigation features such as railways and country roads will generally not be visible to the pilot unless the ground is snow covered or there is a bright moon. At the same time cities and towns will often be visible from a greater distance than by day.
- Compass headings should be accurately maintained and corrections made only when the position, fixed by check points or radio aids is absolutely certain.
- Accuracy in time keeping is essential.
- The minimum enroute altitude flown, should be the cruising altitude appropriate to aircraft track, above the minimum enroute altitude (MEA) found on the Enroute Low Altitude and Terminal Area Charts.
- Assign a cross-country for the student to plan, that will take approximately 60 minutes to fly, consisting of 3 or more legs. Turning points should consist of features readily identifiable at night.
Confirmation
PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING
Review and discuss the students plan.
AIR LESSON
Fly the cross-country as planned.
POST-FLIGHT DEBRIEFING
TIPS FOR INSTRUCTORS
- An effective instructional method is to fly a cross-country exercise that starts in the daylight and terminates after dark. In this way, the student can become aware of the problems of flying in fading and half light.