I fly night XCs on a regular basis. I love flying at night,
especially when the visibility is good. The air is smooth, traffic is
easy to spot, and view (both up and down) is incredible.

Night flying definitely involves more risk, so I adjust my flights
accordingly.

1. I fly higher, typically higher than 9k MSL. More time to sort out
problems, more distance to glide. In the midwest, this keeps me
within range of an airport almost all the time.
2. Don't fly in as strong of crosswinds. I find strong crosswinds
difficult to deal with at night. Fortunately, winds tend to calm at
night.
3. Choose my IFR flights very selectively. Although I don't have a
hard rule for this, I basically limit IFR to punching through a high,
thin layer.
4. Fuel flightplanning. Make sure your fuel stops are open when you
get there. Don't just look at airnav.com or the AOPA guide - calling
ahead is critical. I've been burned by this a few times and had to
spend the night somewhere I didn't want to, because the 24hr fuel
depot closed at 10pm.
5. Backups. You can't have enough for a night flight. Multiple
flashlights. Backup radio. Handheld GPS. Good batteries for all.
Also, make sure this stuff is out and accessible (preferably in the
passenger seat).


On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 04:51:08 GMT, "G. Burkhart"
wrote:

A question to the group. Do you normally fly many night solo cross
country flights? I have been going out to the local airport every couple
months to do some night flying, but it's usually solo just around the patch
to get night current so I can carry a passenger at night. The few times that
I have done cross countries at night, I either have a passenger (usually
pilot rated too) or an instructor (during training a few years ago).

I was going to do a short night XC a couple weeks ago and took off, got
about 10 miles out and didn't 'feel' right so I returned to the pattern. It
was probably just me, but it seemed like some strange noises from the plane
that I don't notice during day flight. If I have a passenger, I'm not as
concerned about flying XC at night. All of my night flights have been when
there is close to a full moon so visibility isn't a factor.

-Greg B.