Night Landings - hepl!

[denverpilot]

Please explain each of these details a little more or send me a PM. I dont understand the 70* and counting. the 10:00 i can visualize but not sure what this does for me.

I am going tomorrow to practice.

They're talking about if you fly looking at the Turn Coordinator.

Airplane banked to the line is usually 3 degrees per second, so hold it solid on the line and divide how many degrees you have left to turn by 3, and count that many seconds. Roll out. (You actually have to lead it just a little bit.)

It's what us poor Instrument pilots do when the evil Instructor "fails" our vaccuum pump so the DG goes bye-bye.

(Assuming your indicator is marked "2 Minute Turn".)

The 70 degree part doesn't really matter. You could time any amount of turn.

The only problem with this advice is that a standard rate turn will put you right on the heading, but may be too shallow to truly align you with the runway. You'd end up parallel to it, assuming zero crosswind.

Still, it's a fine little double-check for turning to a heading counting down in your noggin or by glancing at the second hand of a panel clock or your watch.

 

[jaybee]

Couldn't have done it without you.

My return was at 6500' for about 75 minutes. How early should I make my descent provided altitude WAS a problem? That is something else I never considered.

Night vision can be affected by pressure altitudes of 4,000 ft. See 1-8 (a)(2)

http://www.hawkpilot.com/UH60Info/N...ht Flight Techniques & Procedures - DEC88.pdf

Lots of other interesting information also.

 

[Henning]

Please explain each of these details a little more or send me a PM. I dont understand the 70* and counting. the 10:00 i can visualize but not sure what this does for me.

I am going tomorrow to practice.

70*=70 degrees of turn, double standard rate turn =360 degrees in a minute, 70 degree turn is about 12 seconds. So, toss the wing down into a double standard rate turn, count to 11-12 and roll out. On the turn from downwind to base given a left pattern when you roll out the runway should be right about 10:00.

 

[MAKG1]

It's what us poor Instrument pilots do when the evil Instructor "fails" our vaccuum pump so the DG goes bye-bye.

Isn't that what the magnetic compass is for? As long as you understand its errors.....

 

[Henning]

Isn't that what the magnetic compass is for? As long as you understand its errors.....

Counting works better for the actual maneuvering part.

 

[Captain]

Remember, the airplane doesn't know or care its dark outside. If flies the same regardless.

That means the issue is with the pilot alone. With that in mind you need to get you spacial orientation straightened out. You have to fly the same way with fewer cues.

Accept that there are fewer cues to give your brain the picture of the same place and get your brain to fill in the gaps. With practice you can go to unfamiliar airports and 'draw the mental map' with charts alone at night.

Btw, post #4 was good advice.

 

[alaskaflyer]

Remember, the airplane doesn't know or care its dark outside. If flies the same regardless.

Not true. The engine always seems rougher in direct proportion to the signs of human civilization below and immediate ahead of it in the darkness

 

[denverpilot]

Heh. Reminds me of an instructor friend...

"Airplane doesn't know it's windy."

"Airplane doesn't know it's snowing." (Yes, flying in snow is frakkin' cool if you can find the right conditions to do it in.)

"Airplane doesn't know you don't know how to land it properly."

Etc.

Point was... A lot of stuff in your head, the airplane could care less...

 

[DaytonaLynn]

Get into the pattern before daylight is gone, and keep going as the light fades. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, divert. Then try it again the next night and see if you can go deeper into the gathering dark.

I did this tonight and it worked wonderful!

 

[CMTowner]

My thought is that once you lost the airport the first time, you frightened yourself slightly, and this compounded matters due in part to your frustration. Also, the changing of the lighting atmosphere in the cockpit didn't help the situation any.

My $0.02 worth of advise is to just go out and practice more. Take a safety pilot with you, or your instructor if you feel that you might need a little help to rebuild the confidence. If able, I'd recommend to try landing in different directions to give you the views in each direction.

 

[Morne]

...or fly the ILS/GPS procedure.

Bwahahaha!!!

The airport he is talking about has no instrument procedures or VASI. We're lucky it has lights at all.

A neighboring airport has a VOR/DME-A that uses this field as a checkpoint about halfway between FAF and MAP. Not that his 150 had DME.

@OP - Worst case, use the neighboring airport that has better lights and a VASI. It's only a couple of miles away, I'm sure someone would come pick you up.

I learned at this airport and agree the lighting is less than ideal. I am very comfortable flying at night but am based at a field with wonderful lights.

 

[ChrisK]

Bwahahaha!!!

The airport he is talking about has no instrument procedures or VASI. We're lucky it has lights at all.

A neighboring airport has a VOR/DME-A that uses this field as a checkpoint about halfway between FAF and MAP. Not that his 150 had DME.

@OP - Worst case, use the neighboring airport that has better lights and a VASI. It's only a couple of miles away, I'm sure someone would come pick you up.

I learned at this airport and agree the lighting is less than ideal. I am very comfortable flying at night but am based at a field with wonderful lights.

Not to mention the lights at 15g SUCK =) I did see the airport on downwind. I was just losing the lights on final the first two attempts, and I'm sure it was because of the stupid dome light (a mistake I'm not making again). The 152 I was flying (24800) doesn't really have any working panel lights and I wanted to see the ASI. This was all my lack of preparedness, since the headlamp and spare I needed actually WERE in the flight bag after all. Couple of lessons learned on that flight.

If I continued to have problems I may have gone to Wadsworth, but I was confident I'd get it lined up properly eventually. It was pretty late, but after I got on the ground I discovered Joel was still there watching TV.

I'm a bit more confident than when I made this post though. I need to get night current again!

 

[dell30rb]

Get into the pattern before daylight is gone, and keep going as the light fades. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, divert. Then try it again the next night and see if you can go deeper into the gathering dark.

Do this.

 

[Dave Theisen]

Only problem with diverting is that, well, that's my home airport. If I divert, I'm sleeping wherever I land, and some renter the next day might be a bit annoyed

Don't ever let inconveniences, whether its yours or someone else's, get in the way of making the right decision.

 

[ChrisK]

Don't ever let inconveniences, whether its yours or someone else's, get in the way of making the right decision.

As a student I left an airplane 1/2 mile in IMC because a SVFR clearance would have been required to depart. I hitched a ride home and made arrangements to get the plane. I was not entirely serious with the quoted comment.

 

[Dave Theisen]

As a student I left an airplane 1/2 mile in IMC because a SVFR clearance would have been required to depart. I hitched a ride home and made arrangements to get the plane. I was not entirely serious with the quoted comment.

Good on you. I figured your statement didn't truly reflect your attitude. Just felt I should comment just in case, if not for you, for someone reading it. Too many pilots have succumbed to perceived pressures.