Nick

Wasn't trying to push a wet noodle )

Different pilots have different night adaption ability.

Cockpit lighting (red or white) makes a difference.

Phase of the moon makes a difference.

The airplane your flying makes a difference.

I list all of these to make the point that a single statement about
night landings may have a lot of modifiers that will effect it.

I have a lot of time in heavy iron (P-40, P-51, AT-6, etc) When you
flare in those birds you lose the lights at the far end of the runway
and use the landing lights and side runway lights to keep straight and
judge your height above ground.

With that background, when in GA, I still do the same which I am
comfortable with and have done for years even though I can most of the
time see the lights at the far end of R/W after flare..

To you and the others who have maxed night landings, a pat on the back
and keep up the good work. It's another big hurdle passed in flying.

Big John

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 15:59:24 +1100, Nick Coleman
wrote:

Big John wrote:


Nick

Are you saying that "black out" landings (not using landing lights)
are smoother than day time landings? (Read your post)


No, I mean that my normal with-lights-on landings at night (what we fall
Night VFR; here in Australia we need a special rating to fly at night) were
typically smoother than landings during the day, and that when I commented
on it to my instructor, he said that is not uncommon. We hypothesised a
bit and came up with: less turbulence, and that landing at night forces you
to look to the end of the runway for perspective and height judgement, and
that produces a greaser.

My experience in the C172 was that the landing light is pretty useless in
the flare and so doesn't serve as a reference point. I do remember my
instructor emphasising that I should be looking at the end-lights at the
far end of the runway.

Been there, done that, day and night, IFR and VFR (including
infiltration/exfiltration landings with no landing lights and no
runway lights) and landings other than daylight landings are not
normally smoother than run of the mill day landings.

Sure, I'm only commenting on my experience. But I admit I have very limited
time at night.


Every landing is a critical phase of flight and max effort should be
made to make the transition from flight to ground operation as
precision (and safe) as possible.


Absolutely.

Practice makes perfect.

Big John


On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 16:25:30 +1100, Nick Coleman
wrote:

----clip----

Same with me (night landings are greasers). My instructor said it's
common. As others have said, it's probably because your only cues, the
lights at the end of the runway, are the correct ones.