Night rental requirement

Swampfox201

Swampfox201

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Todd W.
I rent a Cessna 172 and for night flight the FBO requires I be IFR rated and IFR currrent. I enjoy the IPC's but its a pain!

Is this a normal requirement for a rental?

Thanks,
Todd
 
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Normal in europe maybe. I've never heard of anything like that. We don't do that.
 
Swampfox201 said:
I rent a Cessna 172 and for night flight the FBO requires I be IFR rated and IFR currrent. I enjoy the IPC's but its a pain!

Is this a normal requirement for a rental?

Thanks,
Todd
Click to expand...

I've heard of places doing that.

Walk. They apparently don't need the business.
 
We experienced the same restriction, when we were renting a 172 out of Arizona.
As the terrain around some airfield is often quite hostile and a black mountains in front of a black horizon are hard to see, I however have some understanding for this limitation. :rolleyes:

Cheers,

Oliver
 
Swampfox201 said:
I rent a Cessna 172 and for night flight the FBO requires I be IFR rated and IFR currrent. I enjoy the IPC's but its a pain!

Is this a normal requirement for a rental?

Thanks,
Todd
Click to expand...

Some places do this. I'm guessing it keeps their insurance premiums lower.
 
I never understood that there were Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODPs) published for home field until I got my IR. Now I try to look them up for every departure, VFR or IFR.

It's so hard to visualize the reality of the tight spots in 3D terrain/obstacle situation from a 2D sectional.

It makes sense to me.
 
Doggtyred said:
Some places do this. I'm guessing it keeps their insurance premiums lower.
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Ditto. And in the middle of Nebraska where Swampfox flies, there often ain't much in the way of visual references for attitude or navigation at night. FWIW, the USA is one of the few countries in the world where night VFR is even legal, and even fewer where an additional "night rating" isn't required for that.
 
I've heard of this too. My place says they require you be IFR for night cross country, but not a local night flight. They said they don't really enforce it...
 
Ive only been asked once before a night flight if I was IFR current and that was by a lineman as the office staff had gone home for the day.

There is very little to rent around here so I'm stuck with it. Other than the cost I enjoy shooting some approaches. I have no intention of flying IFR but it's nice knowing I can.
 
Ron Levy said:
Ditto. And in the middle of Nebraska where Swampfox flies, there often ain't much in the way of visual references for attitude or navigation at night.
Click to expand...

I have to admit, one time I was flying around midnight coming home over an uninhabited area, about 6,500ft. I lost visual reference to the ground, and by the time I figured out what was going on, I was in about a 20 deg. descending left bank and had lost about 200ft. of altitude. I discovered it by glancing at the GPS to look at my GS and noticing my "where you'll be in 5 mins." course arrow was way off. Then I looked at the artificial horizon noticing it wasn't level before I instantly recognized what was going on and took corrective action.

I heard/read about it in training and didn't think it could happen to me, but it isn't really real until you experience it first hand. It got my adrenaline and heart pumping a little bit, but my girlfriend in the right seat didn't even notice. I didn't want to scare her, so I didn't say anything about it...

It happened here. I was going from east to west:

http://skyvector.com/?ll=46.1242321...738292:G.46.11561202870463,-92.76831137763496
 
One of the places I was looking at renting from had this requirement.
 
Ron Levy said:
Ditto. And in the middle of Nebraska where Swampfox flies, there often ain't much in the way of visual references for attitude or navigation at night. FWIW, the USA is one of the few countries in the world where night VFR is even legal, and even fewer where an additional "night rating" isn't required for that.
Click to expand...

I first ran into that requirement when I moved to OKC in 1977. I learned to fly in New England and had never heard of such a night restriction. You get away from the Big City at night, all those farm lights and stars and no horizon.

Years later in central California, no restrictions. Moved to northern Louisiana and the AF flying club had night restrictions. Three local airports around Shreveport, ok. But no cross country.

The local flight school here in Las Vegas does not have any restrictions. But I have experienced the JFK Jr no horizon with the big city lights behind me. To fly night VFR XC out here is risky.
 
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