Night Currency

Terry

Terry

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Apr 3, 2005
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738
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LaCrosse
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Display name:
Terry
Hi Fellow Pilots,

C172 reserved for tomorrow night to get my night currency.

Flying Hays, Ks. (KHYS) to Pueblo, Co.,KPUB, next Thursday. Should return in daylight but just being cautious.

Do not want to get caught and not be night current in case we stay too long.

Terry
PPL, IR
 
I like flying at night too. It should be nice, quiet, and smooth.

We are going to the museum. My pilot buddy's brother volunteers at the museum on Thursday. I am going along for the ride but buying the lunch.

Just getting night current in case we start back late, I can take over. We fly together a lot and split the cost.

Already getting excited.

You would think after 350 hours that it would sort of be "routine" but the thrill is still there. :)

Terry
ASEL/IR
 
sounds like a good plan. just because you are night current does not mean you are night proficient! not saying you aren't but i havent flown at night for A LONG TIME.if i were to go up and do my 3 takeoffs and landings i still woulndt go up but thats just me. have a good trip!
 
I always enjoy flying at night. There is just some sort of calm that seems to come around. And the renters seem to stop scheduling after sunset too :)
 
Terry said:
I like flying at night too. It should be nice, quiet, and smooth.

We are going to the museum. My pilot buddy's brother volunteers at the museum on Thursday. I am going along for the ride but buying the lunch.

Just getting night current in case we start back late, I can take over. We fly together a lot and split the cost.

Already getting excited.

You would think after 350 hours that it would sort of be "routine" but the thrill is still there. :)

Terry
ASEL/IR
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That is what it is all about! Getting exicted about the journey! :yes:
 
jordane93 said:
sounds like a good plan. just because you are night current does not mean you are night proficient! not saying you aren't but i havent flown at night for A LONG TIME.if i were to go up and do my 3 takeoffs and landings i still woulndt go up but thats just me. have a good trip!
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I hear ya. My pilot buddy is actually doing the flying and I was just covering "all the bases" so we would be legal. He is getting night current too. Both of us feel confident that either of us flying a night should not be a problem.

Now, hard IFR and at night? I don't think so.

My personal minimums are 1,000' and 1 mile. We should be VFR next Thursday. If not, will probably put off trip until we have VFR weather. Will file IFR but only because we like to fly that way. I am instrument current but he is not.

Lately, wind has been more of a problem than anything else. Yesterday was 35 to 40 with gusts to 50. That is tough to handle and gets worse as you get closer to the mountains.

Terry
 
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Just went out earlier tonight to get current. Landing light burned out 1/2 through the exercise :D .
 
weilke said:
Just went out earlier tonight to get current. Landing light burned out 1/2 through the exercise :D .
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Landing lights are over rated anyway. :D

I just put new batteries in my night flashlight.

When I was a new pilot, I was coming in and just flared and the runway lights went off. Poured the power and went around. Won't fall for that again. :hairraise:

Terry
 
Terry said:
I hear ya. My pilot buddy is actually doing the flying and I was just covering "all the bases" so we would be legal. He is getting night current too. Both of us feel confident that either of us flying a night should not be a problem.

Now, hard IFR and at night? I don't think so.

My personal minimums are 1,000' and 1 mile. We should be VFR next Thursday. If not, will probably put off trip until we have VFR weather. Will file IFR but only because we like to fly that way. I am instrument current but he is not.

Lately, wind has been more of a problem than anything else. Yesterday was 35 to 40 with gusts to 50. That is tough to handle and gets worse as you get closer to the mountains.

Terry
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sounds like a good plan. today i flew IFR in decent IMC. probably going to be my last ifr trip for a while as nex t week the temps are supposed to drop in NY. departed KFRG to KBDL. was pretty windy up here also and got shoot the ILS 24. we broke out at about 1500 feet but en route we were almost all in IMC. here's the flight aware link if your interested http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N38433/history/20131107/1315Z/KFRG/KBDL

id like to do night IFR flight in IMC. ive never done itbefore i think it would be fun. of course not in hard IFR
 
jordane93 said:
sounds like a good plan. today i flew IFR in decent IMC. probably going to be my last ifr trip for a while as nex t week the temps are supposed to drop in NY. departed KFRG to KBDL. was pretty windy up here also and got shoot the ILS 24. we broke out at about 1500 feet but en route we were almost all in IMC. here's the flight aware link if your interested http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N38433/history/20131107/1315Z/KFRG/KBDL

id like to do night IFR flight in IMC. ive never done itbefore i think it would be fun. of course not in hard IFR
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I did my IR training in March of 03. We had freezing fog, strong winds, and solid hard IFR for six days. I almost quit but glad I didn't . Made me a good IR pilot.

However, my 1st IFR, by myself, in heavy IMC made me really nervous. Did great and broke out at 300' with 3 mile visibility. There is just something comforting with a CFII in the right seat. :hairraise:

Terry
 
Terry said:
Landing lights are over rated anyway. :D

I just put new batteries in my night flashlight.

When I was a new pilot, I was coming in and just flared and the runway lights went off. Poured the power and went around. Won't fall for that again. :hairraise:

Terry
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Yeah. Just dial it up on your Garmin Aera and do what it sez........right. :no:

Sigh.
 
I got night current last night. It's been over a year since I flew at night (which was a night cross country while I was still training for my PPL). I took my instructor and we had a great flight. Did a couple landings without the landing light. I had forgotten how blinding the centerline lights are on the main runway at KPIE. Never even saw the ground, just used my peripheral vision and "felt" for the runway. Nice, smooth landing.
 
bbchien said:
Yeah. Just dial it up on your Garmin Aera and do what it sez........right. :no:

Sigh.
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I was a new VFR pilot and was doing my take offs and stops for night currency. Hays is uncontrolled and I was the only one out that night. I think this was the second pattern I had flown. Anyway, I didn't reset the runway lights timer with my mic and turning them back on at Hays, in the old days, wouldn't work from the far south end of the field.

So if I had landed I would have no runway lights and no taxiway lights.

They have now added a crosswind runway and it is not a problem.

So, I gave it full power and climbed out straight on the runway heading. As soon as I was high enough, clicked the lights back on and resumed my take offs and stops.
 
What I find annoying but somewhat comforting, is the REIL strobes, especially in IR conditions when they reflect off the clouds.

When I am IMC, I don't notice them because my eyes are on the panel. But in VMC, I have to make it a point to not stare at the lights. They are a distraction.
However, they are comforting to see while you are still some distance away.

Can't have it both ways.

For us pilots out here in the desert, lights and buildings, are few. I get nervous when I fly to Wichita. :)
 
At 1 am flying from the beach back to Tennessee it is nearly dead quiet. There is no one up there but military and odd balls like me. I have to call for radio checks every once in a while to make sure that my radio is not dead. It is an odd feeling.

Jim
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
At 1 am flying from the beach back to Tennessee it is nearly dead quiet. There is no one up there but military and odd balls like me. I have to call for radio checks every once in a while to make sure that my radio is not dead. It is an odd feeling.

Jim
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Hasn't happened recently but I have had to call Wichita radio and ask them to notify Kansas City Center and ask them to turn the repeater on so I can get my IR clearance. :yes: I am serious.

Terry
 
weilke said:
Just went out earlier tonight to get current. Landing light burned out 1/2 through the exercise :D .
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One of the things I like about the Baron...I have three lights. One on each wing tip and one on the nose wheel.
 
Fearless Tower said:
One of the things I like about the Baron...I have three lights. One on each wing tip and one on the nose wheel.
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Redundancy at night. Two outboard leading edge HID's, two fuses, two switches, two batteries, two contactors, two flashlights, two EFIS, three gps. Dang, only one engine and brain.
 
My CFI would turn the lights out on me over the runway. Talk about your black hole! :eek:
 
RV10flyer said:
Redundancy at night. Two outboard leading edge HID's, two fuses, two switches, two batteries, two contactors, two flashlights, two EFIS, three gps. Dang, only one engine and brain.
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I trust your brain more than any electrical device.
 
RV10flyer said:
Redundancy at night. Two outboard leading edge HID's, two fuses, two switches, two batteries, two contactors, two flashlights, two EFIS, three gps. Dang, only one engine and brain.
Click to expand...

Well at least you know what'll eventually kill ya. ;)
 
Well, had terrible wind all day until 5 p.m. Then it quit. Got to the airport and plane wasn't pulled out. Pulled plane out and went through walk around and all looked good. Just turning dark when I started the engine.

Everything well until I turned on avionics master. No GPS, no Comm, No auto pilot, just dark screen. Found tripped breaker on Comm. Reset breaker and got a faint burning smell but still no Comm lights or Nav. Nav 2 was lit but no response when I tried to call Hays Unicom.

Shut off and called Hays Unicom on cell phone. They came down to the hangar and picked me up.

Put plane away and will wait and fly another day, errrr night. :mad:

Terry

P.s.> It is 27 miles one way to the airport. Oh well, took wife to Sonic and we came home.
 
Terry said:
Well, had terrible wind all day until 5 p.m. Then it quit.
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Gas-X will take care of that. :) :) :)

Kidding. Sorry you didn't get your flight in.

Burning smells in the cockpit are a guaranteed no-go for me until they're found and fixed. Not cool.
 
So glad it happened on the ground.
 
I'm current.

runway_zpscaab7dc1.jpg
 
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