Night Practice
I haven’t been flying at night since my training, and with winter here and night coming so much sooner, I thought I should get current so I can take people on night flights.
Saturday night I rented 70739 around 5:30pm, a few minutes before “true night”. I whipped out my trusty Maglight and did a thorough pre-flight. I had forgotten how weird it felt sitting in a dark cockpit with nothing but a little flashlight. After starting the engine I got the red instrument lighting going at maximum brightness, but even then it was difficult to see some of the smaller instruments, like oil pressure.
It was a very clear and cold night, so the plane practically lept into the air. I was to pattern altitude by the time I started turning downwind. I had never been in a plane at night by myself before, and the first trip around the pattern felt a little “weird”. From altitude the runway is just a black slab surrounded by lights. But by the time I was on final, with the landing light on, I started feeling more secure.
Three trips around the pattern with full-stop landings and I’m current again for the next 90 days. I’d like to plan a cross-country trip soon where I can fly back during sunset.