When I began flight instructing, where I taught scheduled instructors by time of day, and I drew the night shift. So for a year and half before my situation changed, I had to learn both how to become a good instructor and handle the nuances of night flight. So learning to be comfortable flying in the dark quickly became a priority for me.
Realistically, there should be no reason for us to be afraid of flying at night, but I can see how the lack of usual visual cues can affect a number of pilots. Fortunately, I was able to adjust, loved it even, so that when I was reassigned a day shift later, I really missed it.
