Night Flying in Your Ideal Aircraft Should Be Planned, Not Dreaded

Remembering the good parts of student-pilot nighttime training can help get us back out in the dark.

Monday, January 22, 2024 at 07:13 PM ET

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When all the lights are working and your cockpit is organized, night flying begins to feel more natural. [Credit: Jonathan Welsh]

Key Takeaways:

The author committed to flying more by shedding old excuses, eventually taking his first flight of the year despite significant delays that pushed it from day to night.
He confronted his long-standing aversion to night flying, which was influenced by a past challenging experience and research into terrain-related accidents at a specific airport.
Deciding that night VFR is a legitimate part of a private pilot's privileges, he chose to embrace rather than shun it.
The unexpected night flight proved rewarding, allowing him to practice pilotage and rediscover the unique sensory experience of landing under runway lights.

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A recent flight helped me to think more openly about strategies for getting the most out of my airplane this year. In short, I realized that letting go of old excuses could yield more flying time if I handled the process reasonably.

I was determined to log what would be my first hours of the year on a recent Friday and had planned to be in the air by midmorning, which soon degraded to midday, then midafternoon. Just about every action, activity, and preparation took far longer than expected, but I was not going to let that lovely day get away from me. Conditions were ideal. A day like this would be welcome in April but was worthy of celebration in early January.