Finding the Airport at Night

[weilke]

I still have trouble finding the airport depending on it's location. What I find funny is I can normally find numerous airports while enroute, but the arrival airport I have to follow the ILS.

Loading an approach also reduces the chance of embarrassment from landing at the wrong airport.

 

[acrophile]

Sometimes the green flash is harder to see than the white flash. So look for a periodic white light and then look more closely to see if there's a green light in between.

 

[bikert]

I have the toughest time finding airports at night in the city. I always load an approach and use that for reference.I try not to fly at night if I can help it.

 

[denverpilot]

If nobody is on short final, ask the tower to flash or turn up the lights. If uncontrolled, do it yourself.
If you have a fancy avionics set up you can build an extended centerline with an X mile fix.

Why "fancy"? All the relatively cheap iPad and Android stuff has extended centerlines these days...

Sometimes the green flash is harder to see than the white flash. So look for a periodic white light and then look more closely to see if there's a green light in between.

Two white flashes in rapid succession are really easy to notice, but you probably aren't landing there. (But I can usually spot KBKF at night before KAPA's lights...)

 

[UngaWunga]

I have the same problem. I can only really pick out my home field because I know the shape of the road nearby, where the box stores are, and where the water is.

Other fields I always have a hard time finding. I have the habit of looking out too far for the airport, and get surprised when I'm almost right on top of it. Good suggestions on loading up the approach.

 

[topsail]

I shoot an approach at night, even if just VTF, just like in the soup until I have the runway made. Treating myself to LEDs this annual. Older eyes. P

 

[JeffDG]

I second the "fly an approach".

Even if you're VFR, nothing says you can't follow the directions on an approach chart, and they're specifically designed to put you lined up with the runway headed straight for it.

 

[SCCutler]

The beacon is easy to catch if you sort of "blur" your field of vision and wait for the rhythmic flashes to catch your attention (similar to sensing relative motion)

THis has worked very well for me...

If nobody is on short final, ask the tower to flash or turn up the lights. If uncontrolled, do it yourself.
If you have a fancy avionics set up you can build an extended centerline with an X mile fix.

In the Garmin 430/530, direct-to airport, GPS in "OBS" mode and the CDI resolver set to runway heading, gives you a nice bright lined up (approximately) with the runway ("Approximately," because it's referencing the airport's geographic position, not any particular runway).

Urban sprawl pretty much drowns out the airport. The twinkle of the street lights and cars on the streets make the airport the needle in the haystack.

Addison's such a narrow airport and, now that the city around it is fully-developed, spotting it can be a real beeotch, especially (though not exclusively) at night. The beacon on the new-ish control tower is a lot dimmer than the old one it replaced, too. If I am having difficulty, I often look for the row of very bright lights at the golf driving range.

Out here in the sticks, click on the lights and it's like Jesus himself is beckoning you to land! Angels start singing and the force draws you to the numbers like magic!!! Just remember to give them another 7 clicks on the mic a couple miles out!

I was flying to Sierra Blanca Airport (KSRR, Ruidoso, NM) last December, cold and clear, and the runways seemed "right there" for about 30 miles!

Nothing against SV, but please tell me you actually see the airport itself (and not just on SV) before you report the field in sight.

"Got it on the fish-finder!"

I still have trouble finding the airport depending on it's location. What I find funny is I can normally find numerous airports while enroute, but the arrival airport I have to follow the ILS.

Ain't it always the case? But (of course) while en-route, I find the ones I am NOT looking for.

I second the "fly an approach".

Even if you're VFR, nothing says you can't follow the directions on an approach chart, and they're specifically designed to put you lined up with the runway headed straight for it.

 

[MAKG1]

I don't particularly like to fly long straight ins VFR to a nontowered field, as there is some risk of someone launching straight into you. The OBS trick works just as well for the 45, and it gives you a range.

The real answer is to use pilotage just like you do in daytime, just with different choices for landmarks. And you can see quite a lot, even in the city but especially outside, if the lights and electronic toys are dimmer than blinding. Roads, lakes, mountains, etc. are there, but you also have lighted obstructions, airport beacons, and cities and towns.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Nothing against SV, but please tell me you actually see the airport itself (and not just on SV) before you report the field in sight.

That would require opening my eyes, and the dark scares me.

 

[rt4388]

How long do y'all think it would take to become familiar enough with flying approaches to do it at night as a a non-instrument pilot? How many hours on the ground and how many in the air?

 

[petrolero]

I was flying to Sierra Blanca Airport (KSRR, Ruidoso, NM) last December, cold and clear, and the runways seemed "right there" for about 30 miles!

Those are some huge runways for such a small airport. I think they're designed to handle alien space ship overflow from Roswell.

 

[coloradobluesky]

Its not too hard for a non-IFR pilot to learn to fly an ILS. I did it at night a few times before I got my IFR rating. You need to know where the Final Approach Fix is (its usually about 5 miles away from the airport), and the elevation to cross it (usually about 2000' AGL) and the frequency of the ILS. And have an ILS receiver of course.

With a GPS that has an OBS function, all IFR ones have that, hit the OBS function and get extended runway centerlines by dialing in the runway heading and follow that line on in. Having that line on the map helps orient you, A downwind is going to be parallel and about one mile away from that line. ETC

 

[PPC1052]

For that matter, a plain ole magenta line works pretty well too. Runway center line extensions are helpful too.

SV is great for those airports with terrain that make seeing the airport difficult if not impossible until you're right overhead.

Another "old school" solution is to dial in the localizer frequency. I do that a fair amount to help get lined up properly flying VFR if I am unfamiliar. That trick came in handy flying VFR into a busy class C for the first time with dual runways after getting the admonition from Tower to be sure not over shoot the runway due to the fact that dual runways were in use.

 

[PPC1052]

How long do y'all think it would take to become familiar enough with flying approaches to do it at night as a a non-instrument pilot? How many hours on the ground and how many in the air?

If you are flying it VFR without view limiting devices, it wouldn't take much time at all. Assuming you can avoid obstacles visually, you don't have to fly the entire approach. Just the final approach course. Assuming there is a localizer or ILS approach, just tune in the localizer, and track it in to the end of the runway, and you are pretty much good. Essentially identical for a VOR approach. LDA or VOR-A is different because they don't line you up with the run way, but functionally no different than tracking a VOR on a known radial to the airport. Spend 5-10 minutes talking about it with an instructor on the ground, and do it once or twice, and you will get what you need for VFR only purposes.

 

[jordane93]

How long do y'all think it would take to become familiar enough with flying approaches to do it at night as a a non-instrument pilot? How many hours on the ground and how many in the air?

You don't need to follow all the step down fixes. It's good because it will give lateral guidance and a magenta line will lead you right to the runway.

 

[zwaustin]

Fly an approach....