On Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:35:02 GMT, wrote in
:

Larry Dighera wrote:
On Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:32:32 -0800, "BT" wrote
in :

What would the moon or lack of it have to do with this.

I'm thinking the new moon would make the terrain difficult to see.

I take it you've never flown in the southwestern desert areas.


Pilots who reside on the west coast who don't fly over the desert have
precious little else to fly over, given that the Pacific covers the
western half of the area, and the Mojave desert surrounds the
populated areas to the east. So, of course I've flown over
unpopulated areas at night. With a full moon on a clear night, I find
it easy to see the terrain. It's actually quite a lovely sight.

With a new moon over the deserted desert, you're effectively on
instruments, or you should be.

Under a full moon the terrain is difficult to see.

Our opinions differ.

Under much less than a full moon the terrain is impossible to see.

Effectively, yes. That's why I thought the new moon may have
contributed to this mishap.

I Follow Roads is the only visual reference you have.

Of course, that only works if there is traffic with headlights lit on
the desert road, and it's still no substitute for _through_ flight
planning before departure, and radar advisories en route. Those pesky
F-16s are impossible to see-and-avoid at night.