Night Flying

I live on the Texas Gulf Coast (No mountains, towers top out around 2500
MSL max)

My overriding "concern" is ground fog formation in the early AM. My
specialty "issue" is to monitor dew point spreads and visibilities
enroute, to make sure I dont box myself into a corner. I listen to every
ATIS/ASOS I pass over enroute, and actively flight follow. I'm always
talking to somebody, and I always know where I am, usually by a minimum
of two methods, sometimes 3.. (visual, VOR's, GPS)

Other than that, I have no overriding "concern" about flying at night.
My ex-wife characterized me as a flashlight collector, and I used to fly
with no less than 4 of various types, AND a chem-stic or two. Never had
the need to use one except to look at charts. I keep a battery op GPS
and Handheld in the aircraft as well.. I dont land with less than an
hour of fuel at night.. and in my typical flight, that does not affect
my utility at all. I will fully fuel (4-5 hours fuel) for a 2 hour flight.

I am VERY selective about the aircraft I fly at night. Yes, I rent, but
every aircraft I fly at night I have flown in the daytime, and I have
"fired" an aircraft on more than one occasion for poor upkeep. Crappy
radios, recurrent squawks that "cant be duplicated" involving
instruments, radios or electrics are deal breakers.

The aircraft I fly at night are well equipped for IFR, even though I am
not instrument rated. That being said, many night departures in VMC are
still only safely done on gauges (the "black hole" effect) until you
have a horizon. I have over 20 hours of legal ACTUAL IFR in the enroute
and approach setting (i was blessed with a good instructor who knew how
to teach instruments, and had become comfortable with my simulated
performance). The aircraft I fly are maintained by people I know on a
first name basis, and who are owned by people I know on a first name
basis, and are in a flying club or rental fleet that is serious about
maintenance.

The majority of aircraft accidents are the result of pilot error.. so
the greatest "problem" in flying (day or night) is the pilot. Mechanical
failure is a distant second, and by being picky/choosy and actively
managing risk I push that probability even lower. I dont use my
instrument experience to push things, rather I use it as an ace in the hole.

Now, if you want to launch into night VFR with a tight dew point spread,
nearby terrain, in a poorly maintained, poorly equipped rental with
minimum fuel, you are rolling the dice. I gamble in the casinos.. you
may get away with something in the short term, but in the long run the
house always win.

I fly at night because I may have worked that day... or not had access
to the plane until the night, or I need to get somewhere (I dont
consider a solid VFR night flight a case of get-there-itis). I trained
at night, and for the longest time I worked at night, and would go fly
on my nights off. Once or twice had to wait for daylight to get back
home (fog), but that in itself was a learning experience.

I didnt get a pilots license to go fly only on clear sunday afternoons,
I got it to go places and do things. I'm not cavalier.. rather.. its
about educated decision making and active risk management. Each of us
flying is doing something risky. Hopefully each of us is doing it as
safely as possible for the circumstances involved.

Dave

Fred Choate wrote:

I guess my previous post was silly....of course you purposely plan them for
night, but what I am getting at, is do you compare the route to a daytime
flight and do you decide to fly at night for any particular reason...


Fred