Night Currency Flights
Your plane can’t tell if the stars are out tonight, or if it’s cloudy or bright. You can, however, and you also know flying at night offers a unique set of challenges as well as rewards.
Sharpes Aero can help you meet the category and class night currency requirements of §61.57(b):
- at least three takeoffs and landings to a full stop
- between one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise
- in the last 90 days
- as sole manipulator of the flight controls
- in an aircraft of the same category, class, and, if needed, type
We’ll have a refresher on the ground before flying to review the risks unique to night flying. Topics will be from:
- “Night Operations,” chapter 10 of the Airplane Flying Handbook
- Spatial Disorientation
- “Aeronautical Decision-Making,” chapter 2 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
- “Aeromedical Factors,” chapter 2 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
- “Aeronautical Lighting and Other Airport Visual Aids,” chapter 2 of the Aeronautical Information Manual
Weather will be a factor in selecting which night we fly. We’ll want good visibility, light winds on the surface and aloft, no fronts moving through the area, and no thunderstorms nearby. This reduces the odds of turbulence that would make night flying even more of a challenge. Cirrus clouds are OK but cumulus clouds can cause downdrafts and sinking air.
Flying in your airplane or The Pumpkin, Sharpes Aero will work with you regain night currency and help you fly safely when “… the stars are aglow …”