On Mar 19, 10:19 pm, Roger wrote:

Is it really worth the added risk?

I did a lot of night VFR including long cross country flying and never
considered it much different than day VFR. Of course we don't have
mountains around here and I never considered day VFR lightly.

There are more than mountains to contend with here, day or night.

Fly south from here and you are over WV -- not much is flat there. If
you're east of south you're over some serious wilderness and real
mountains.

Fly east and you're over the Alleghenies which -- while not the
Rockies -- have plenty of traps for the reckless. (Departing on 14
from my home field I'd better make the turn to crosswind quick if I
want to avoid the 1200' ridge directly in my flight path. The night
IFR departure is N/A).

Fly north over the rather unforgiving urban sprawl of Pittsburgh.
Those unlit stretches below are either rivers or deep draws.

Fly west and you're above the Pittsburgh Plateau -- a 75 mile wide
series of 150-200' hills with houses and farms and roads, and power
and gas lines scattered over the whole conglomeration.

I don't fly at night lightly here. While I've flown my share of night
XC, I'm aware that there is an added risk factor SEL. In most cases
the risk is not justified.


Dan Mc