As we enter daylight saving time, the evenings are stretching out before our eyes.
This is great for late summer barbecues, but also means that our night flights are starting later in the day. A later start means you may be tired from the weight of the day behind you, so we’d like to offer some tips to keep you safe during night flights.
1. Carry a flashlight with both red and white lights
A red light enables you to preflight the plane after the sun goes down without ruining your night vision. It can take up to twenty minutes for your eyes to go back to seeing normally in darkened conditions after being exposed to bright light, so red lights are important. The white light portion is good for putting the plane away in the dark once your flight is complete.
2. Equip your flight bag with a red head lamp
Like having a red and white flashlight, a red head lamp helps you view your instruments hands-free in the dark without blowing out your vision.
3. Turn your cell phone and iPad/tablet device screen brightness down
Prior to heading out for your flight, make sure to lower the brightness on your devices’ screens so you don’t blow out your night vision while using those devices in flight. (ForeFlight can also be switched to “night mode” in the app.)
4. Taxi slower, whether you think you need to or not
Darker skies = lower visibility. Make good use of taxiway diagrams by downloading them prior to flight. This should keep you from taxiing into the grass. Remember, taxiway edge lighting does not always protect you from dips or other obstacles lurking in the darkness.
5. Check the lights with all your might
Take extra special care to check that all lights on the exterior and interior of the aircraft are operating properly prior to takeoff. If you taxi without lights, you’ll have a hard time seeing what’s in front of you. If your instrument panel lighting is inadequate and you haven’t heeded tips #1 and 2, your flight will become very difficult very quickly.
6. Refrain from terrain
Use the aircraft’s GPS, ForeFlight, or Garmin Pilot to ensure you are staying above all terrain. Mountains fade into the backdrop in lowlight conditions and are very easy to run into at night. Thorough preflight planning for maintaining clearance over terrain enroute will go a long way to preventing these types of accidents.