I had to be over on the West Coast of Florida, Monday late afternoon and planned to fly back home after dark. It was a beautiful afternoon, with lots of puffy clouds and a surprisingly lusty ocean breeze (east to west off the Atlantic, not west to east off the gulf).
The flight over was so pleasant, I pulled the throttle back to just above stall speed and let the winds and thermals carry me over Tampa Bay and into my destination. The A-22 Valor I was flying has an 80 horse power Rotax with carb heat installed, which, for reasons no one can explain, increases thrust and after a very fun climb out at 1200 feet per minute, I pointed my nose towards the gulf and road the wave.
As I approached the busy Tampa airspace, I made sure to be under the class b shelf and out of the way of all the other airports around there and decided to float over the beach all the way to my turn off. the day was in the low 90's and gulf water temp still in the low to mid 80's, so the beach was modestly busy with lots of youngsters playing in the sand. The water was shiny blue and almost too inviting.
After concluding my business and finding my self almost an hour ahead of schedule, I decided to fly out over the gulf and do some sightseeing before heading home. The uninhabited islands just off the beach are favorite destinations for boaters with picnic baskets and coolers and Monday was no exception. Between the many boats coming and going and those just playing and skiing, there was a lot to see and I tried to see it all.
After about an hour I turned towards home and could have asked for Class B clearance to over fly the east west runway at Tampa International, but decided to make the longer flight home and see some more sights. One sight I did not expect to see was a C-135 flying about a mile to my left, going the same way at almost my altitude. After getting over the shock, I wagged my wings as he climbed toward his cruising altitude.
Darkness arrives very fast, in these later October evenings and the sky transitioned from soft red, blue and grays to dark in about ten minutes, leaving me alone, suddenly. I love that first hour of dark. The birds are beginning to settle into their nesting places and the deer are visible as they graze in the open. Between the calm air and dissipating thermals, the ride is most often gentle and quieter than daylight flight.
As I flew away from the over populated coastal areas into the interior farmland, the lights disappeared and night swallowed us up. I passed several aircraft on their way home but they were much higher, flying way faster and too far off to see more than their lights.
On the route I chose home there is a tower that the chart says is only 1700 feet above the ground, but I fly passed it often and i could swear that it is higher than 2100 feet. I have a healthy paranoia about it and plan my flight to stay 5 miles south of that tower, no matter what. I still never feel quite satisfied about it until I see it pass off to the North.
Soon after leaving the heavily lighted areas and entering what we call "no man's land" I began to pick up the lights of my destination and watched until I caught the tower beacon over Sebring. That gives me a reference home and some added confidence about my flight path. You can never have too many visual references at night and I mark my maps to show them all.
The light headwinds at 3500 feet slowed me down, as I expected, and since I only flew this leg at 50% power, it was very black by the time I was flying over Lake Jackson that the city of Sebring surrounds. Turning for the airport, I pulled out the power to just about stall speed and let the air and minimal power glide me home.
I called in from 10, 7, 5, 3 and 2 mile south just in case anyone was coming in also and turned final at 400 feet above the cow pasture, then eased my nose down and let the Valor carry over the threshold. We use the VASI at Sebring and if you fly the lights down, you land on the thousand-foot marker, just ahead of the turnout for the terminal. I chose a shorter landing and rolled up to the turn, coasted thru it and stopped clear to turn off the transponder and unnecessary electronics, before crossing the taxiway and heading for the hanger.
The airport security car was parked by the terminal entrance and Craig Graybill, the security company owner and operator, put his headlights on and followed me back to our hanger cluster, for added visibility.
Craig has handled the airport for over five years and often thinks of little ways to help everyone out. When I lost throttle control some time ago in an experimental and wasn't sure what would happen when I pulled out the power to land and he was there in a heartbeat, closing he runways and keeping everyone out while I rode it down. Typical of his style, he was gone back on patrol before I could thank him.
It was a great night and great flight and great aircraft and a wonderful experience to share with people you love.
Great Sunset Flight Monday night
Moderator: drseti
nice ride
Thats the thrill of a flight without a particuar destination or plan in mind. Usually these are the best and most remembered.
"Perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add but when there is no longer anything to take away." Antoine de Saint Exupery
Hey Hydroguy,
Thanks for responding. I love the quiet, not in a hurry, enjoy the scenery types of flights. Night flight is a special circumstance, in that you lose most ground reference and never know just where you would put down in an emergency. Roads are great and become long runways but the issue is not seeing power lines in time to avoid them. Long, straight farm fields are my favorite choice but you have to hope the terrain is forgiving and you don't hit small trees and gullies.
There is an endorsement, for those working on their p.p.l. that allows night flight, SOLO, to and / or between, specific airports and only after receiving a sign off from the instructor that gave you specific instruction on the route of flight. The endorsement expires every 90 days and requires your instructor to renew it and instruct you on the route(s) in question.
That is way to get familiar and comfortable with night flying, after finishing the dual instruction, required landings and dual, cross country, night requirements. Weather forecasts are important and so is making sure of the route and checking with people at your destination, before taking off about the weather, as well as having someone knowing exactly when you left and are expected.
For those Sport Pilots that intend to move up to a private, that's your only way, without flying with a Private pilot, or above, in the right seat, to legally fly at night.
Thanks for responding. I love the quiet, not in a hurry, enjoy the scenery types of flights. Night flight is a special circumstance, in that you lose most ground reference and never know just where you would put down in an emergency. Roads are great and become long runways but the issue is not seeing power lines in time to avoid them. Long, straight farm fields are my favorite choice but you have to hope the terrain is forgiving and you don't hit small trees and gullies.
There is an endorsement, for those working on their p.p.l. that allows night flight, SOLO, to and / or between, specific airports and only after receiving a sign off from the instructor that gave you specific instruction on the route of flight. The endorsement expires every 90 days and requires your instructor to renew it and instruct you on the route(s) in question.
That is way to get familiar and comfortable with night flying, after finishing the dual instruction, required landings and dual, cross country, night requirements. Weather forecasts are important and so is making sure of the route and checking with people at your destination, before taking off about the weather, as well as having someone knowing exactly when you left and are expected.
For those Sport Pilots that intend to move up to a private, that's your only way, without flying with a Private pilot, or above, in the right seat, to legally fly at night.