(Robert M. Gary) wrote
I don't feel comfortable signing my students off for cross countries
from San Francisco to New York either

Why not? I think a long solo XC is a great idea. Most students don't
do one that long but I see no reason to say no.

I expect students will ask for extra training in certain
areas as they grown in their private.

Sure - but basic night flying isn't one of them. In other countries
it's a separte rating, and that's fine - but in the US it's something
we expect at the private level.

There is also the reality that the vast majority of students WON'T
come back for additional training.

Most don't do any night flying
for the first year or so after their private so anything given would
be mostly lost anyway.

Have you ever considered the possibility that this is because they
don't feel comfortable with their night flying skills?

Now my experience is certainly different from yours - I only know ONE
private pilot who didn't fly at night in the first year (usually the
first month) after getting the rating.

I once had an instrument student who, before he came to me, had NEVER
flown solo at night. He had the minimum three hours for his private,
then never again. What's more, he wasn't competent to fly at night.

Flying at night scared him. I told him that given our schedules we
would need to do much of our training at night, so we did a couple of
hours of night dual. That was all it took. The next week, he was
flying night solo. But the first hour was certainly... interesting.

And this is why I have a real problem with this blanket acceptance of
no night solo. There is no effective way to test night flying
competence during the daytime, so it is not tested on the checkride
(unlike all the other skills that have been mentioned in the thread).
As the CFI who gave the night training, you are it. If you don't feel
comfortable having the student fly at night, and your judgment is
sound, then he probably should not be flying at night. If he flies at
night before the checkride, you have some control and as a minimum he
risks only his own neck. After the checkride your liability is
reduced (not eliminated) but making the decision based on liability
rather than actual safety is a practice I can't really get behind -
and your student's first night flight without you is probably going to
be with a passenger.

Michael