Respect the Darkness of the Black Hole Departure

The black hole departure can make takeoffs challenging and sometimes downright deadly but doesn't receive the same amount of attention as the black hole approach.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, February 26, 2024 at 04:42 PM ET

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There are a handful of tips you can follow to help mitigate risk when you face a potential black hole departure. [iStock]

Key Takeaways:

"Black hole departures"—night takeoffs into visually featureless environments like dark water—are an underrecognized and significant aviation hazard, often causing spatial disorientation.
These departures are particularly dangerous for VFR pilots who may not be prepared for the sudden loss of visual cues, necessitating a rapid and often unexpected transition to instrument flying.
To mitigate the risks, pilots should practice instrument flying for night VFR conditions, thoroughly study departure paths and obstacles, and use simulators to prepare for black hole departure scenarios.

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Do you remember preparing for your first night flight?

Maybe you’ve read Chapter 17 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and Chapter 11 of the Airplane Flying Handbook, learning about the dangers of spatial disorientation and runway illusions caused by the reduction of visual cues. Most of us read along the way, too, about the black hole approach, where a lack of visual cues on the ground make it challenging for the pilot to find the runway and fly a stable approach. Oddly enough, the other side of the black hole approach—the black hole departure—that can make takeoffs challenging and sometimes downright deadly does not receive the same amount of attention.