Night Landing Tips

[Chrisgoesflying]

Up here in Canada, we don't get a night rating on our PPL, we have to get that rating in addition to our PPL. Requirements are some extra hood time, some dual at night and then 5 hours of night solo, including 10 takeoffs and landings.

I did my first night solo a few days ago on a particular dark night. Overcast ceiling (albeit a very high ceiling), no moon and well past sunset. The flight was uneventful but then I came back for the landing and holy cow it was hard. I had no depth perception. The runway looked like a black hole to me. I came in and rounded out way to high but really thought I'm close to the ground. I then kind of descended in steps until I finally hit the ground. Ended up landing something like halfway down the runway on a 6,000 feet runway.

I've done landings at night with my instructor before but they must have all been on moonlit nights as I never seem to have had that problem of not seeing the runway (other than the lights on the sides) at all.

1. What are your best (really dark) night landing tips?
2. How are your personal minimums different at night compared to day?

 

[dmspilot]

1. Don't look at the part of the runway that your landing light illuminates because it's too close. Use the runway edge lights. When they begin to collapse vertically and/or you see them (or the runway surface) in your peripheral vision it's time to flare. Blurring your vision slightly and turning the landing light off can actually make it easier.

Alternately, the Airplane Flying Handbook says to roundout when tire marks become visible--it works but makes me uncomfortable for some reason, probably because I normally shift my focus down the runway before that would happen. Of course it also requires you have a landing light in working condition and that you use it.

2. I don't have specific numbers but look at terrain and weather reports and forecasts much more carefully.

 

[Albany Tom]

Two things cause me to exercise extreme care with night visual landings:

1 - displaced thresholds due to obstacles. To me, that means high likelihood there's something like a tree on what would be a normal approach to the end of the runway. That you might not be able to see.

2 - if the airport has IFR approaches, but they're listed as "NA at night". To me, that means there's probably a bunch of squirrely stuff in the area, that makes me question the wisdom of going in there at night VFR.

But I'm a bit of a baby with night landings.

I don't have any particular minimums, though.

 

[Texan Pilot]

All the above. When I see the tire marks, I begin the transition and looking down the runway. I still land higher and longer, thus don’t do much flying at night. I want to emphasize about reviewing the airport approaches for NA at night. Avoid those destinations at night.

 

[21541803]

Approach. If you can see the RWY approach lights at all times, then you are likely high enough to miss trees and buildings. Antennae not so much.
Power on approach.
On final.
Trim for approach speed with nose at the "round-out" attitude ( Vx times 1.2 ?) to have the nose wheel off, when the mains touch. Wings level, ball in the middle.
Set descend rate at 125 to 250 fpm with power. (Depending RWY length)
Peripheral vision indicates centre line.
Listen for the prop sound changing and let the plane touch down when it is ready.
Be ready to gently let the nose down.
Sounds like a Glassy water landing.

 

[sarangan]

Up here in Canada, we don't get a night rating on our PPL, we have to get that rating in addition to our PPL. Requirements are some extra hood time, some dual at night and then 5 hours of night solo, including 10 takeoffs and landings.

I did my first night solo a few days ago on a particular dark night. Overcast ceiling (albeit a very high ceiling), no moon and well past sunset. The flight was uneventful but then I came back for the landing and holy cow it was hard. I had no depth perception. The runway looked like a black hole to me. I came in and rounded out way to high but really thought I'm close to the ground. I then kind of descended in steps until I finally hit the ground. Ended up landing something like halfway down the runway on a 6,000 feet runway.

I've done landings at night with my instructor before but they must have all been on moonlit nights as I never seem to have had that problem of not seeing the runway (other than the lights on the sides) at all.

1. What are your best (really dark) night landing tips?
2. How are your personal minimums different at night compared to day?

In my opinion, landing light screws things up more than it helps. Pilots tend to stare at one spot and miss a lot of peripheral cues. During night instruction, I make it a point to demonstrate to students how to land without landing lights. It is a very useful exercise. You may want to ask your instructor about this.

 

[Jim Carpenter]

Not specifically about actual landings, but a personal minimum for me, I won't go to an unknown airport that doesn't have VASI/PAPI. Holds especially true out west here where a majority of airports are out of town and are black hole runways. There are even a few fields (VFR-only) with VGSI lights that I won't go into after dark.