Night Operations 

Objective: the student will be introduced to night operations along with a change in some procedures.

Completion Standards: the student will be able to understand the differences between day and night procedures. The student will be able to explain some of the illusions.

References: Phak, Aim, AFH

Equipment: White Board and markers, iPad/ computer 

IP’s Actions:

• Assess student

• State the objective and completion standards

• Writes down references

• Provide attention getter

• Present content

• Assessment

• Assign Homework

SP’s Actions:

• Take notes

• Ask Questions

Introduction: 

(Attention Getter) : Flying at night is cool…

Motivation: (Discuss purpose for lesson and relate to Attention getter)

Overview:

1. Visual system

2. Environmental conditions that degrade vision

3. Illusions

4. Preflight/ flight

5. Taxiing, Airport Orientation, and Run-up

6. Takeoff and Climb

7. Inflight Orientation

8. Traffic Patterns

9. Approach and landing

10. Emergencies 

Content:

Visual system— Eyes

Vision In Flight

Mention how eyes are most used

Anatomy of the Eye

Explain cones and rods/ what they are and what are they for

Vision types: Photopic Vision, Mesopic Vision, and Scotopic Vision

1. Photopic vision

   1. Seeing color and fine detail

   2. High levels of light Bright light like during the day

2. Mesopic Vision

   1. Combination of rods and cones and is experienced at dawn, dusk, and during full moonlight.

   2. Medium/Low levels of light dangerous time for vision

3. Scotopic Vision

   1. Cones become ineffective, resulting in poor resolution of detail.

   2. Low level of light

Central blind spot

• Optic nerve (center on eye) has a total absence of cones and rods

• Essentially has a blind spot

Environmental conditions that degrade vision

Empty-Field Myopia

• Is a condition that usually occurs when flying above the clouds or in a haze layer that provides nothing specific to focus on outside the aircraft

• Eye relaxes

  • Focal distance is between 10-30 feet

  • This means looking without seeing

• Search out and focus on distant light sources

Night Vision

• Night Blind Spot

  • rods are 10,000 times more sensitive to light than the cones

  • Like central blind spot

    • Look off center

• Night Adaption (redlight)

  • Adjustment of the human eye to a dark environment.

  • Cones adapt rapidly to changes in light intensities

  • The rods can take approximately 30 minutes to fully adapt to darkness

    • A bright light, can completely destroy night adaptation

    • Charts in dark mode

• Night Vision Protection

  • Sunglasses

  • Oxygen supply

  • High intensity lighting

  • Flight deck Lighting

  • Airfield etiquette 

Illusions

1. Visual

   1. False Horizon

      1. A sloping cloud formation,

      2.  An obscured horizon,

      3.  A dark scene spread with ground lights and stars,

      4. patterns of ground lights can provide 

      5. inaccurate visual information, 

      6. align the aircraft with wrong horizon.

   2. Autokinesis

      1. Flying in the dark,

      2. Stationary light may appear to move if it is stared at for a prolonged period of time

   3. Runway Width Illusion

      1. Narrower- Higher than usual- Leading to a Lower Approach 

      2. Wider- Lower than usual- Leading to a Higher Approach

   4. Runway and Terrain Slopes Illusion

      1. Upslope- Higher than usual- Leading to a Lower Approach

      2. Downslope- Lower than usual- Leading to a Higher Approach

1. Featureless Terrain Illusion

   1. Black hole

   2. Absence of surrounding ground features, as in an overwater approach over darkened areas or terrain made featureless

2. Water Refraction

   1. Rain on the windscreen 

   2. Create an illusion of being at a higher altitude due to the horizon appearing lower than it is. 

   3. pilot flying a lower approach.

3. Haze

   1. Pilot will tend to be lower on approach 

4. Fog

   1. Illusion of pitching up

5. Ground Lighting Illusions

   1. Lights from streets nearby

   2. Pilots might line up on incorrect runway

Preflight/ flight

• Required equipment

  • ATOMATO FLAMES and FLAPS

• Checklists like normal

  • Using a white flashlight NOT red

    • Brake fluid

• Before Start checklist

  • 
    

• Start checklist

  • Like normal

Taxiing, Airport Orientation, and Run-up

• Taxi

  • Reduce speeds for impaired vision

  • Use taxi lights

    • Being considerate of others

    • Do Not Blind Others

• Airport diagram

• Run-up

  • Like normal

  • Taxi lights off

Airport lights

• Airport beacon

  • Flashing white and green for civilian land airports 

  • Flashing white and yellow for a water airport 

  • Flashing white, yellow, and green for a heliport 

  • Two quick white flashes alternating with a green flash identifying a military airport

Takeoff and Climb

• Normal Takeoff

  • Taxi lights for line up

  • Then once lined up strobes  and landing lights

• Climb

  • Pitch for 10 degrees or 74 Kn

  • Using more instruments than outside references

Inflight Orientation

• Checkpoints 

  • there are less of them, but it does not pose a problem.

• Light patterns of towns are easily identified. 

  • Rotating beacons are useful. 

  • Highways make good checkpoints. 

  • Easier to become disoriented in relation to location

  • continuously monitor position, time estimates, and fuel consumed.

• Use NAVAIDS whenever possible.

• Difficult to see clouds at night—

  • ​exercise caution to avoid flying into MVFR/IFR weather conditions.

  • The first indication will be the gradual disappearance of the ground and glowing around lights.

• Use nav lights to orient other aircraft’s direction in relation to your own.

  •  Red light on left wing, green light on right wing, white light on tail.

  • Traffic avoidance

Traffic Patterns

• Identify the runway/airport lights as soon as possible.

• It may be difficult to find the airport or the runways

  • ​fly towards the beacon until you identify runway lights, 

    • and compare the runway lights with your heading to ensure you are at the right place.

• Distance may be deceptive at night due to limited light conditions — 

  • lack of references on ground and inability to compare their location and size.

• Depend more on instruments, particularly the airspeed indicator and altimeter.

• Use the landing light for collision avoidance, 

  • and fly a normal traffic pattern.

• Know the location of the runway/approach threshold lights at all times.

• When entering the pattern, 

  • allow for plenty of time to complete the before landing checklist, 

  • and execute the approach in the same manner as during the day.

Approach and landing

• Normal approach

  • Keeping in mind of the illusions from earlier

• Landing

  • Using instruments for airspeed and altitude 

  • Runway lights for visual reference

  • More likely to float.

• Go-Arounds

  • Should be used if you are unsure of the landing

  • Using instruments to maintain coordination

    • Normal go around ish

Emergencies 

• Electrical load

  • High volts

  • Low volts

• Engine failure

  • Normal checklist

  • Fly towards lights if you can

    • Preferably an airport

    • Not near a congested area

  • Landing with lights to see where you can go if needed

Conclusion

1. Visual system

2. Environmental conditions that degrade vision

3. Illusions

4. Preflight/ flight

5. Taxiing, Airport Orientation, and Run-up

6. Takeoff and Climb

7. Inflight Orientation

8. Traffic Patterns

9. Approach and landing

10. Emergencies 

(Questions to assess student)

What are some illusions?

Why is it important to preflihgt with a white light?

Why would we use a red light?

What should we do for a before start checklist?

What if we encountered clouds?

HW: 

Go over the PHAK/ AIm for night ops