Is taking off with no runway lights a thing?

Skid

Skid

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Apr 23, 2017
Messages
195
Display Name
Display name:
Skid
This is the second time I've seen this recently. Someone will be taxiing out around 9 and the tower closes shop and cuts the lights. 10 minutes later I hear a plane rumbling down the runway in complete darkness and I'm left scratching my head why. I've seen this now in Meridian and Saratoga so I would think at least somewhat experienced pilots. Is this just a cool club I'm not part of?
 
I've done it when the pilot controlled lighting was inop at a field I knew well. Its not what I'd consider a "best practice" for night time departures though
 
I fail to see the problem. I've done landings with zero landing lights, pitch black as a part of PPL training. Takeoffs are no different. You think the gravel and dirt runways out west have runway lighting at night?

I hope that the plane has decent landing and taxi lights as taking off in complete darkness is asinine, but if you have the necessary stuff...NBD.
 
I've seen people do it when the PCL was out. If the lights are available, I'll use them
 
Drug smugglers.
They don't do runway lights, landing lights, nav lights or anti-collision lights.
There were a number of mid-air and runway collisions back in the '60s and 70s as a result.
You don't hear much about it anymore.
 
Yup, practice for that Baja run later.....?
 
Caramon13 said:
I fail to see the problem. I've done landings with zero landing lights, pitch black as a part of PPL training. Takeoffs are no different. You think the gravel and dirt runways out west have runway lighting at night?

I hope that the plane has decent landing and taxi lights as taking off in complete darkness is asinine, but if you have the necessary stuff...NBD.
Click to expand...
With the old tractor lights that fail every 10 hours....maybe I'd like to have runway lights. With LEDs and halogens runway lights aren't so necessary.
 
Military does it, of course with tons of training. But it's not a big deal. As a CFI I would train to land at night. Bulbs do burn out. Takeoffs probably easier than landing without lights.
 
If ya can stay between them, ain't no thing if they're lit or not. You may want to think about needing them if there is a reason to return and land.
 
Depends on how much moon is out, how many other lights are around and how strong is the landing light.
 
If you got a landing light taking off with no runway lights seems pretty easy to me as long as you know where the end is!

My CFI and I did a simulated zero-zero takoff on just instruments...that night thing seems safer than that!
 
Landing without runway lights at night is a foolish thing to practice. Taking off without them still isn't very wise either.

If all comes to worse, park a coupl'a vehicles on the sides of the runway with their headlights on.
 
Or... you could strap your iPhone to a drone and fly it down the run way in front of you while you take off.
(we know there's no regulation against it)


and of course, there's always these:

upload_2017-5-30_22-32-3.jpeg
 
Fessing up - I've forgotten to activate the PCL when landing a few times. And once or twice when taking off. I have a landing light, so it never seem that big a deal. . .
 
I've forgotten once in training when taking off. It was a full moon and my Alphabeam lit up the whole runway. My CFI clicked the mic and turned them on when I started take off roll.
 
Some airports will close some of the runways by notam. But for a takeoffs, lights don't really matter much. LED landing lights these days can make even the darkest runway look like day.
I can think of 2 times I used a runway without lights, neither was eventful.
 
I know I'm getting old, but my instructor specifically took me to a very dark field to do T/Os and landings with nothing but the landing light. It's not a big deal . . . unless you've never done it. Do you expect the field you pick out to have runway lights when the engine quits?
 
If you're a part 91 operator, you don't need no stinkin' runway lights.

If you're a 135/121 operator, you probably do. Failing to have the runway lights on was just one of the many aspects of the Comair 5191 crash.
 
flyingron said:
If you're a part 91 operator, you don't need no stinkin' runway lights.

If you're a 135/121 operator, you probably do. Failing to have the runway lights on was just one of the many aspects of the Comair 5191 crash.
Click to expand...

Yep, Pt 91 who cares if anyone uses the lights.
 
Wow! You mean it is dangerous to take off without runway lights? Good thing no one told this to all those pilots during WWII. If they had, we in America might be speaking German or Japanese these days.
 
I think a lot of responses are about landing lights, not runway lights. I remember during PPL training we turned off the landing light a couple of times. You guys were landing as PPL with no runway lights?

That seems like much more specialized training IMO.
 
I don't see the big whip. You have a DG, hold runway heading and you're good to go. Your landing light should let you see the runway middle markers as they pass by. I'ver never done it but I wouldn't scrub a night flight for lack of runway lighting.
 
I'm talking about runway lights. Now if you didn't have a landing light or runway lights, that'd be tougher . . . still not impossible.
 
No lights treat it like an instrument take off in marginal weather,just hold runway heading.
 
My ppl instructor did no landing light landing and no runway light landings with me. I don't think we ever did both at the same time.
 
The rescue guys (UH60 & PJs) would return to base at night and request us (tower) to kill the lights so they could fly and land with their NVGs.
 
Last edited:
Is taking off with no runway lights a thing?

No, but landing with your eyes closed might be a thing....
 
Am I missing something? Assuming you have a landing light, and maybe a taxi light as well, do you find it really matters much, if at all? I mean in a GA airplane with vis over the nose, and relatively low rotation and/or approach speed?
 
Heck, I assumed that was a normal training excercise. We did no runway light T&Gs with the landing light off and no landing light with the runway lights on during PPL training.
 
The only thing I'd be worried about is something on the runway. Locally, deer are an issue. I don't do a lot of night flying, but I have seen deer on or around a runway a couple of times.
 
I have tried and aborted landings with no runway lights so I have ruled that out. Of course it is very, very dark here at night without a moon. Even with a moon you have no glideslope and need to xref your altitude with your distance out so you don't hit an obstacle.
I have taken off lots of times without runway lights; if there is a painted stripe it is not difficult. You have to be sure your landing/taxi light won't quit at a bad time though.
I tried it once on a runway with no stripe and a liftoff speed of 100kts and that was too much, not doing that again. On this rwy, there was little contrast between the rwy and the runway edge so that made it very difficult. The bright moon was no help as the landing/taxi lights washed that out completely.
 
ScottK said:
The only thing I'd be worried about is something on the runway. Locally, deer are an issue. I don't do a lot of night flying, but I have seen deer on or around a runway a couple of times.
Click to expand...

In West Virginia we would taxi up and down the runway a few times to check for deer. Buzzing the runway before landing was a smart thing to do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top