Prepare for: Night Flying
Training for night operations: vision, lighting, illusions, equipment and the private-pilot night requirements.
Your CFI's syllabus and your airplane's POH come first. This page is a general study aid to help you show up prepared.
What you'll do
- Let your eyes adapt (about 30 minutes) and use red or dim light in the cockpit.
- Use off-center viewing to see faint objects; scan in small steps.
- Know the illusions: black-hole approaches, false horizons, autokinesis.
- Carry a flashlight (with spare batteries); check every exterior light during preflight.
- Private requirement (61.109): 3 hours of night training including a 100 nm cross-country and 10 full-stop takeoffs and landings.
The standard you'll be held to
Quoted from the current FAA Airman Certification Standards for each level that tests this.
Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C)Task PA.XI.A · Night Operations
See this task in the official ACS.
Read it in the FAA handbooks
The official chapters behind this page. Each link opens the exact chapter, free on faa.gov. See the full Study Library.
Prepare the night before
- Read the night flying lesson.
- Plan an airport with good lighting for your first night flight.
Common mistakes
- Bright screens ruining your night vision.
- Flying a low approach into a dark area (black-hole illusion).
Questions to ask your instructor
- What airport should we use for night landings?
- How do you handle a total electrical failure at night?
Related lessons
Check yourself
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