Catch the Mooney Enthusiasm at Coast to Coast Aircraft

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The time of year this article was written was in the fall, after the clocks were turned back for the season, and that translates to more opportunities for

One of the most fabulous world wonder views come from flying at night in a personal aircraft.  More often than not, the air is silky smooth and the city is lit up like a treasure chest full of jewels. Couple that on a clear night with the billions of "Diamonds" faintly lighting up the night sky for as far as you can see. WONDERFUL!

And then there are the nights with a full lighting up the ground for you to pick out obstacles and the jagged edge of the horizon. For those of you with little night flying experience, this type of moon-lit night is the best for initial practice because there is some ground visibility.

WHAT IF THE ENGINE QUITS?!!

Statistics show that the fatality rate for off airport landings at night are not appreciably higher than those during daylight, however that is a concern for most reasoning types, so it is extra important to do an even more thorough pre-flight inspection and be absolutely assured of having extra fuel on board.

I remember 1971 when I went for my first night flight with my instructor  turned airline pilot; Charles Calkins, and I asked him what we would do if the engine quit. He told me that just before reaching the ground to turn on the landing light. Seemed reasonable, and then he went on to tell me more about the night landing procedure; he said that once the landing light is on and I don't like what I see in front of me, TURN OFF THE LANDING LIGHT! Some procedure! We laughed at that one, but in actuality, it's usually not so bad as it would seem, just be certain that your landing light is in good shape. They seem to fail when you need them most. Depending on the degree of darkness, it is important to remember just one thing......AIRSPEED! If you're ever in a situation where off field night landing is imminent, you must train yourself to keep a level head as hard as that is, and keep your airspeed to an absolute minimum for touchdown where ever and what ever the topography.

the VARIABLES..... I don't know, I'd have to spend time in my logs to add up all the night flying I have done over the years. My guess would be a couple of hundred hours ; but it is important to mention that just as in the daylight, NO TWO FLIGHTS are exactly alike so keep that in mind. Conditions, visibility, terrain, airport locations, etc. are all variables to consider for the night flier. Being from the West Coast originally, the majority of night flying was over mountainous terrain which can increase the "spooky" factor considerably, especially on non moon-lit nights. You really have to know your terrain!  Have you spent much time flying over mountain ranges during the day? If you're within a few thousand feet above the ridges, you may recall that you have your eye on those ridges from many miles out simply wondering if you're high enough to clear the ridges, and of course you've planned the flight and you know that you are, but you still question it until you close in on the ridges don't you? Well, magnify that ten fold at night! Often times there are beacons at the ridge lines, but sometimes there are none so the "pucker factor" rises considerably, especially on descent to places such as Las Vegas, Nevada and such, so just because you may be checked out for night flight, many of us are far from completely experienced in that genre. It is important to take in to account that altitude can effect one's night vision, so take heed on that issue.

Finding the strange airport can present a challenge.     

       I remember delivering a Mooney one time to Chicago's Midway Airport which I had never been in to at night. I had planned to arrive in daylight, but a mechanical problem forced me a few hours of down time in Missouri, so onward I flew because I had a pre-set important meeting with someone I really wanted to see. My approach into the Chicago area was magical, mystical, and gorgeous. Eye Candy for a certainty! I had never found Chicago to be what one would refer to as a "beautiful city", but at night.......forgetaboutit! It was Gorgeous. So there I was marveling at the sights in the silky smooth air of the night when I was asked by the controller if I had Midway in sight! "Nope, don't see it," I replied. He called it at 9 miles and 12:00 and said he was turning up the approach lights. "Do you have the airport in sight yet" he queried. "Nope! Don't see it". "Airport 12:00 and 4 miles, do you have it in sight yet?" "Nope", I replied. NOW WHAT?!  I was low, slow, flaps and gear down, and I could see nothing but the vast blend of city lights. Just as the controller was no doubt about to break me off of the approach, there it was! Two miles out and beautiful in more ways than one! He cleared me to land and once down I was surprised to see how much snow bordered the runway and how icy the taxi ways were. I slipped and slid to the FBO, and it was one of those flights I would never forget. Fortunately the memories of it are good ones. Once down I realized how absolutely fun that was. Houston's Hobby Airport can create the same problems and I'm certain there are many cities where the airport lays in the middle of the lights rather than on the edge as in most smaller airports, so keep that in mind and plan your flight destination keeping my experience in mind as well.

 WHEN DOES NO LOW CLOUDS AND REPORTED HIGH VISIBILITY equate to Absolute IFR? On a night with high clouds, no moon, and over a desolate area. That's when you may find yourself with the highest mixed bag of variables within a single flight. Accident records are full of loss of control accidents that took place at night while on a supposed VFR flight. There are times when you simply have no reference to the horizon as there are no stars to guide you right side up, so if you're planning a traveling night fligh, be absolutely certain that you are brushed up and current on your IFR flying, in fact, if you even suspect flying in such conditions, file and IFR flight plan only and if you're not IFR rated; DON'T GO! The closest I have ever gotten to losing a customer to an air accident was a really nice man by the name of Darrell F. I had taken a Rockwell Commander 112 airplane in trade for a Mooney at one time and Darrell bought that plane. He was local to San Antonio as I was, so we stayed in touch for awhile, but Darrell eventually found a Mooney 231 he bought from Ken Shoup and Darrell died in that airplane. According to FAA reports and eye witnesses, Darrell dropped off a passenger in South Texas at Harlingen. It was one of those high cloud nights with zero visibility due to the high clouds and relative lack of city lights in the direction he was heading. Darrell had asked the lady at the FBO desk if she had aspirins as he complained of a headache. She had none, so he departed back toward San Antonio. Darrell had a bad habit of engaging the auto pilot shortly after departure and he apparently did such that night, however the FAA commented that the auto pilot probably did not engage when he pressed the button and he obviously must not have checked the enunciator to verify that it was engaged as he put a 160+ knot smoking hole in the ground even though the FAA determined that all flight controls were attached and the engine was making power. Darrell was apparently not even aware that he was flying toward the ground as he could not see anything and his headache probably played a roll in lowering his concentration of hearing the wind noise change from climb to descent. Sadly that was a loss of a good person and airplane.                            

Now that we have discussed some of the variables and cautions of flying your airplane at night, do so with the respect and caution that it deserves, but definitely do it as it is one of the most beautiful and satisfying aspects of PERSONAL FLIGHT and for heaven's sake, don't forget your and extra                                                                                      

MOONEY NIGHT-FLIGHT

Hey now, who's got your back? You know dats right!     

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fly safe......zef

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