FAA PPL night flight requirement - does it have to be DUAL?

On Wed, 13 Oct 2004 19:39:48 +0100, Peter
wrote:


Peter Clark wrote

You want the FAR, 61.109(a), paragraphs 2 and 2(i) - "Except as
provided in 61.110 of this part, 3 hours of night flight training in a
single-engine airplane that includes (i) One cross country flight of
over 100 nautical miles total distance; and (ii) 10 takeoffs and 10
landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the
traffic pattern) at an airport."

You meet the night cross country requirement with either flight listed
above. There's no requirement for a solo night cross country of any
distance in the regs. If you've done 10 night takeoffs and landings
you meet the requirements for that part of the reg.

My reading of the first paragraph above is that *both* (i) and (ii)
are required, and the word "night" does apply to both (i) and (ii).

I have 11 takeoffs after Civil Twilight, and 21 landings after Civil
Twilight, so (ii) should be satisfied.

I now have (i) also but after advice from some people who should know
I did it solo.

It is possible that the words "night flight TRAINING" (my emphasis)
refer to dual flying because in practice that is what the student will
have to do; at that stage he won't be legal to do it solo.

Unless properly endorsed for night solo, correct, it won't be done
solo. I'm confused on your statement that "people who should know"
told you to do the night cross country solo to meet a US requirement
that doesn't call for it to be solo. Generally you get 3+ hours of
dual given at night time which includes the solo.

In my case, I have some 400 hours, lots of IFR/IMC time (on a UK
license), and the UK night rating, so can fly at night solo or even
IFR in IMC.

I have heard of people who did their 100nm night flight solo.

Are you saying that Americans are able to get an FAA PPL without doing
10 *night* takeoffs and landings and without flying 100nm fully at
night?

Um, I think I said:

You meet the night cross country requirement with either flight listed
above. There's no requirement for a solo night cross country of any
distance in the regs. If you've done 10 night takeoffs and landings
you meet the requirements for that part of the reg.

meaning that the reg doesn't say the cross country has to be solo, and
because of that the dual cross country of over 100NM you mentioned in
the original post meets the requirements of 61.109(2)(a)(i). Anything
else is gravy. Then I continued to say that if you have the 10 to/l
after night you meet 61.109(2)(a)(ii). Perhaps I should have said
"you meet the night cross country requirement with either of the
flights you said you logged above" to be more clear as to what I was
referring to when I said "flight listed above"?

And technically, yes, if you're in Alaska there's a special exemption
in 61.110 from having to do the night work, but you get a "daylight
only" PPL which you can go back later and add night to once you get
the hours done. It would have been useful when I was trying to do the
night work back in July and night started at 9:30 or later, but I
digress Everyone else has to have night work.