scarybus320
Pre-Flight
I am currently a student pilot, and just started my night takeoff landings training, my instructor said it's easier and people lands better at night, that's a different story to me and I think he is making things up since i found it difficult. I had to fight with x-wind, unable to see the dark runway as the landing lights are helpless when airplane is close to the ground.
the airplane I am training on is a citabria, as the landing light is below the prop, it doesn't really help much at all compared to landing with lights off. the wind sock doesn't help much since i couldn't really see it from far and the only way to know where the wind is coming from is to align the run way and remember the wind direction before takeoff, later i tried wheel landing and hope that i can see the runway edge light and feel the runway way flatten, well, the first few tries was not good , and had to go around or re-flare it again and do a 3 - point landing. the worst part was the a very serious mistake to me that i should have go around, 3 point, a soft bounced and i thought it touch the ground soft but it bounced and airborne for a second and sink back to the ground, and i had to jab the rudder pedals so quick to get it align and had to fix the tail wheel shimmy problem with relax the stick a bit. and all the landings are under 5-7 knots of x-wind.
i thought i have fixed my mistakes i made during day time, but at night, all the old mistakes comes back again, it was frustrated and tired. but can't wait to do it again.
the airplane I am training on is a citabria, as the landing light is below the prop, it doesn't really help much at all compared to landing with lights off. the wind sock doesn't help much since i couldn't really see it from far and the only way to know where the wind is coming from is to align the run way and remember the wind direction before takeoff, later i tried wheel landing and hope that i can see the runway edge light and feel the runway way flatten, well, the first few tries was not good , and had to go around or re-flare it again and do a 3 - point landing. the worst part was the a very serious mistake to me that i should have go around, 3 point, a soft bounced and i thought it touch the ground soft but it bounced and airborne for a second and sink back to the ground, and i had to jab the rudder pedals so quick to get it align and had to fix the tail wheel shimmy problem with relax the stick a bit. and all the landings are under 5-7 knots of x-wind.
i thought i have fixed my mistakes i made during day time, but at night, all the old mistakes comes back again, it was frustrated and tired. but can't wait to do it again.