Getting your Night VFR (Night Visual Flight Rules) Rating is an immensely valuable addition for those aspiring to have a successful career in aviation, as it will allow you to pilot an aircraft during low light conditions, and during full darkness. Being able to fly during low light is an amazing experience – you can fly before dawn and watch the sunrise from the air, or watch the sunset followed by your city’s transformation into a sparkling sea of lights.

With less available visual references, the thought of flying in the dark can also make some pilots nervous. Here are some handy tips from night flying experts to help you overcome any concerns you might have about training to fly in the dark: For  American Airlines Booking Phone Numbe

Fly higher than normal

When flying during night time, it’s a good idea to fly the aircraft at a higher altitude than flying during day time. Flying at a higher altitude will give you more time if a problem or issue occurs. A common issue is night time illusions, such as the ‘black hole effect’. This effect is when pilots flying at night above featureless terrain, usually without any starlight or moonlight, have a natural tendency to fly lower approaches when flying into an airport.

Before taking off

To have the best exterior visibility as possible, try to avoid bright lights before hopping into the cockpit and remember to keep all the switch and panel lights as dim as possible. Having a lower amount of light coming from the screens inside the cockpit will help your eyes adjust to the outside darkness much quicker once you are in the sky.

Airport lights

 When approaching an airport at night time, high-intensity runway lights can cause some issues. This is because when the lights on the airport runway are very bright, you can feel like you are in a closer proximity to the runway than you really are. Because of this illusion, high-intensity runway lights can make you fly a higher glide path than normal.

Another issue is that very bright lights on the runway can blind you when you round out and flare the aircraft to land. To avoid this problem, be sure to turn down the lights when entering the pattern to low or medium. Or you can key in 3 or 5 clicks on the CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency).

Using strobes

 When taking off, avoid turning on the strobes before you enter the runway, otherwise you can end up blinding the ground crews and other pilots around the taxiway and ramp. Always turn the strobes on when entering an active runway or crossing runways.

Flying at night doesn’t have to be intimidating when you choose the right aviation academy to get your Night VFR rating. Search for a leading flight school that has a modern aircraft fleet, Grade 1 flight instructors and a range of aviation courses that are designed around the reason you are wanting to fly.