Night flying

[newamiga]

So it looks like I am going to go ahead and finish off my PPL cert. I am lucky to have had a CFII for all my SP training so all the hours count. I had done one hour of night flying just to see what it was like a while ago. Tonight I finished off the private night cross country dual and 10 full stops. It was a heck of an interesting experience trying to time the landing end game. Earlier today I went out and did ten touch and goes on the same runway I did most of the night landings on and did fine. I have definitely developed a new respect for the differences. By the end I did well on my landings. It was just different. On the upside it was so totally clear and smooth and beautiful .. Just amazing. My favorite part of the night was on flight following with Springs approach. It is always funny when they call out a Gobosh as traffic. The guy tonight in the MD-80 was really curious what I was. Who says LSA's don't start conversations:)

Carl

[Jack Tyler]

I think you are touching on why some GA pilots in single engine a/c fly at night, Carl. Despite its elevated risks - not just the single engine but also the importance of remaining current - flying on a good night can be a serene experience full of wonder. Another thing I valued very much about it was how it added to the utility of our plane. Given where we were in our time zone and how the seasons change the hours of daylight, it made it possible to fly up to UF on a Friday afternoon, pick up our son and bring him back for a weekend visit. And also repeat the process on Sunday afternoon. Four hours of flying, half of it at night, was like a reward for the week's work while fourteen hours of driving would have been punishment.

Congrats on pursuing the completion of your PPL, too. You won't regret it, you might actually enjoy the nav portion despite how things have moved on tech-wise, and who knows where it will lead...?