The "darker side" of flying (Night Landings) with ATC COMS - Video

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Needed to get night current for an IFR flight next week. Since I have
not flown at night for quite some time, figure to give me an
adjustment period as day transitions to night.

Video includes slow flight while waiting for the sun to set, watching
the sunset from 3000 feet and two landings at KJAN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-STNsb2ZC7A

My next video will have the remainder of my landings back at KMBO.

[Ross]

wrote:
> Needed to get night current for an IFR flight next week. Since I have
> not flown at night for quite some time, figure to give me an
> adjustment period as day transitions to night.
>
> Video includes slow flight while waiting for the sun to set, watching
> the sunset from 3000 feet and two landings at KJAN.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-STNsb2ZC7A
>
> My next video will have the remainder of my landings back at KMBO.

Did you see the green flash that is reported to happen as the top of the
sun goes below the horizon? I have looked but never seen it. I love
night flying. I do a city tours of downtown Dallas at night. Striking!
ATC puts me at ~ 1900 AGL.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

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On Nov 19, 7:47*am, Ross > wrote:

> Did you see the green flash that is reported to happen as the top of the
> sun goes below the horizon? I have looked but never seen it.

No, but I was looking :-) Only in pictures have I seen that!

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Night currency landings - video

Video is a continuation of my night currency video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayv1Mq3FC9M

This video captures one touch and go, one full stop landing and shut
down. Video includes uncontrolled airport communications.

Looking back at my log book it had been over 1 year (11/01.07) since I
had done any night flying,

Good overall exercise for me landing on runways of different widths.

[Steve Hix]

In article
>,
" > wrote:

> On Nov 19, 7:47*am, Ross > wrote:
>
> > Did you see the green flash that is reported to happen as the top of the
> > sun goes below the horizon? I have looked but never seen it.
>
> No, but I was looking :-) Only in pictures have I seen that!

I've seen it three times.

Twice from a beach near my younger daughter's place near Lahaina, Maui.

Once on Hwy 152 about 20 miles west of Los Banos, CA, southeast of San
Jose.

All three times under clear, non-cloudy skies, with very little haze.

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On Nov 19, 5:49*pm, Steve Hix >
wrote:

> I've seen it three times.
>
> Twice from a beach near my younger daughter's place near Lahaina, Maui.
>
> Once on Hwy 152 about 20 miles west of Los Banos, CA, southeast of San
> Jose.
>
> All three times under clear, non-cloudy skies, with very little haze.

I know it has to do with the bending of the rays and such, and it's
brief at best but will a video pick it up? I videoed the whole thing
and didn't see it. One would think, from the comforts of cruise
altitude it would be a common event?

[Steve Hix]

In article
>,
" > wrote:

> On Nov 19, 5:49*pm, Steve Hix >
> wrote:
>
> > I've seen it three times.
> >
> > Twice from a beach near my younger daughter's place near Lahaina, Maui.
> >
> > Once on Hwy 152 about 20 miles west of Los Banos, CA, southeast of San
> > Jose.
> >
> > All three times under clear, non-cloudy skies, with very little haze.
>
> I know it has to do with the bending of the rays and such, and it's
> brief at best but will a video pick it up?

It's possible, but not usually easy. For one thing, the proper
refractive conditions aren't common most places.

Some place that commonly has coastal inversion layers would likely be
worth looking for.

And it's pretty easy to overexpose the event, which usually washes out
the color enough that you can't tell if it's green or not.

> I videoed the whole thing
> and didn't see it. One would think, from the comforts of cruise
> altitude it would be a common event?

Here are a couple of videos:
http://www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/gfvid1.htm

This one is good at showing how brief the flash happens, being shot from
the deck of a boat doesn't help, either.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTvIenot5ck&feature=related

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On Nov 19, 7:59*pm, Steve Hix >
wrote:

> Here are a couple of videos:http://www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/gfvid1.htm

Very cool video! Yes, I see why I could easily "wash out" the green
flash even if I could see it, camera exposure changed dramatically in
my 3 minute video, and even in the 30 second clip in my landing video,
just a slight tilt up or down made a dramatic difference in the sky
look.

Good study of the upper air charts would reveal inversion levels one
would think? But one thing I have noticed as a common denominator is
that most are seen over water rather then land.

[Gezellig]

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:47:26 -0600, Ross wrote:

> wrote:
>> Needed to get night current for an IFR flight next week. Since I have
>> not flown at night for quite some time, figure to give me an
>> adjustment period as day transitions to night.
>>
>> Video includes slow flight while waiting for the sun to set, watching
>> the sunset from 3000 feet and two landings at KJAN.
>>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-STNsb2ZC7A
>>
>> My next video will have the remainder of my landings back at KMBO.
>
> Did you see the green flash that is reported to happen as the top of the
> sun goes below the horizon? I have looked but never seen it. I love
> night flying. I do a city tours of downtown Dallas at night. Striking!
> ATC puts me at ~ 1900 AGL.

Ross, I live in SW FL not that far from the Keys where this "green
flash" is to happen frequently. It doesn't.

But it sure makes for a great excuse to take a drink and a sit on the
beach nearly every nite. :)

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Sunset from 2000 feet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ha1U_foChw

Last of my night currency videos. Thought the ATC instructions at the
very beginning and the end were quite fitting.

Privileged view from our heights needless to say.