Night VFR Soaring (USA)

On Apr 13, 7:21*pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
I thought the OLC had a restriction on night flying, but I couldn't find
any reference to it. Does OLC place restriction on flying before or
after sunset?

Per the sporting code:
5.3.2 Certificates
a. PILOT CERTIFICATION OF REGULATORY COMPLIANCE The pilot must certify
that the soaring performance was conducted in accordance with the FAI
Sporting Code, was flown in compliance with all the glider
manufacturer's and national operating limitations, and in accordance
with national flight regulations respecting airspace use, night
flight, etc.

And I believe the OLC tries to follow the SC when practical.

And getting back to the original question, which was not about flying
in darkness, but about flying after sunset. In the US, the aircraft
must have anti collision lights to be legal. In the western US, it's
not uncommon for there to still be lift at sunset or even later. With
the proper equipment, one could easily watch the sun set from the top
of a thermal, then spend the next hour or so gliding home.

If it's a typical desert evening with little if no overdevelopment,
one could expect a fairly benign airmass with no surprises, so making
a conservative glide home with a number of large fields or lighted
airports on the way should, for the experienced and well prepared
pilot, be quite safe.

I recall a flight from central Colorado into southwestern Kansas a few
years ago. I was quite a bit ahead of my crew and attempting to reach
Liberal when the day fizzled out. So I started the engine over a nice
field and started motoring toward a more convenient airport. In this
direction there were some nice late clouds and soon I had the engine
stowed as I flew in the late day thermals. I arrived at the airport
and waited in great lift for Karen to arrive with the trailer. As I
enjoyed the evening and setting sun, it dawned on me that the sun is
setting! So out came the spoilers and very quickly I'd wasted the few
thousand feet to get on the ground a minute or two before official
sunset. A half hour or more later it was still light enough to make a
safe landing on an unlighted runway - if only it were legal...

-Tom

I routinely fly my gliders at night for airshows. Learning to fly
aerobatics at night was one of the scariest things I've ever done.
However, once I established the proper parameters and visual cues (and
where not to look to avoid being blinded by the pyrotechnics), it is a
blast! The occasional night wave flight is pretty awesome too.
Frankly, I prefer hard dark to twilight. Once my eyes adjust to hard
dark, it's better to not be exposed to any light. The western horizon
can be very bright long after sunset (especially in northern
latitudes). Landing into a setting sun can be near impossible.
Landing a glider at night is harder than an airplane (even a back-
seat, no-visibility biplane like the Skybolt) because of the extremely
low visual position. At touchdown, your eyes are scarcely higher than
the runway light posts. All depth perception is lost at the final
moments. Also much worse with a tinted canopy. Without my landing
light, I can't see the runway at all.

There are different definitions for various stages of 'non-day'
flight. The requirement for position and anti-collision lights is
different than that for night currency. Also, the requirement in
91.205 for an 'adequate source of electrical energy' can be a problem
in an unpowered glider. (91.205 technically only applies to
airplanes, but your operating limitations probably reference it, so it
applies.) A standard set of position lights draws about 12 amps, a
strobe system draws about 6 amps. With my 8 ah battery, the strobe
starts going haywire in about 30 minutes. The lights are noticeably
dim by then. And that is starting with a fresh 'light-dedicated'
battery. The new LED lights draw less current, but are really
expensive. My ops limits only allow 30 minutes after sunset, and
require replacing the battery every three years.

Night VFR has been allowed on experimental aircraft for many years.
Nothing new as far as I know...

Bob

On Apr 13, 10:57*am, Mike the Strike wrote:
In issuing a new airworthiness certificate, my local FAA FSDO examiner
told me yesterday that the restrictions on experimental aircraft
(which includes a lot of sailplanes) to fly only in day VFR had been
removed, and night VFR was now permitted in aircraft equipped with the
necessary navigation lights.

In Arizona, our short summer days sometimes have us on final glide as
the sun is setting and we do occasionally land around (or even just
after) sunset. *I know most contest rules cut off soaring at or before
sunset, but I wonder if there any circumstances where this would be
useful?

Night OLC, anyone?

Mike