Right.....

I realize why a lot of VFR pilots don't fly at night. But, considering the
route....obviously it would be safer to fly some routes than others.

I mentioned that to a Horizon pilot once....the "not being able to see
anything" deal. He brought up the argument that over urban areas, you
actually can see quite a bit. You can see the cities, the freeways, runways
from distances, things like that. Now, that is in a populated area, for
instance out here in the Pacific Northwest. But say in Montana, once you
leave the vicinity of your airport, you are in the dark for sure, and
runways are few and far between.

But what about flying areas that are a bit more congested where you don't
have mountains to run into, and lots of airports around. I can't say that I
wouldn't consider it when planning a cross country........but it would
certainly depend on the route, terrain, and things like that. From the
Seattle area here, one could fly the I-5 corridor to Portland, and have an
out (the freeway) in case of an engine failure, but also many lighted strips
along the way, as well as many cities for landmarks......

Fred

"buttman" wrote in message
ups.com...
When its dark, you can't see anything. One of the things that attracts
people to flying is being able to see things from high above.

Also, during my first night cross country back when I was getting my
private, I remember my instructor telling me "If we lose an engine,
we're pretty much screwed"