With the passing of daylight savings time, we’re now faced with fewer hours to fly in sunshine. For many single-engine pilots, that means fewer hours of flying, since they prefer not to fly at night. For those who do, filing and flying an IFR flight plan is even more advisable. Having a second set of eyes following the progress of the flight can be a lifesaver, especially when visibility is reduced in darkness.
And it’s not just the view out the window that is compromised. One of the under-discussed hazards of night flying is that all the familiar controls, switches and levers inside the cockpit are cloaked in gloom after dark. Of course yoke, throttle, mixture and prop controls still ought to fall naturally to hand, but lesser used cockpit hardware — cowl flaps, fuel selectors, pitot heat, and so forth — require extra attention when a simple glance isn’t enough to locate and verify configuration.
