Sunset and nigh flying definitions

Ian Strachan wrote:

The Sporting Code Section 3 Gliding, says: "4.5.3 Night flight. A
flight that continues beyond the hours of legal daylight in the country
concerned shall not be validated, except where the glider and pilot
comply with the laws of that country for night flight."

Technically, I don't think there are any laws in the US for solo night
flight in gliders. The night flight regulations for aircraft are only
defined for powered aircraft. The only requirement for pilots is for
night currency (3 takeoffs and landings) but this only applies when
carrying passengers. However, there is a requirement for position
lights on all aircraft between sunset and sunrise. The specific
aircraft will probably have requirements for night equipment related to
it's airworthiness certificate, if it is approved for night flight at
all.

Finally, there may be insurance considerations as well as sporting and
legal ones. Damage in the event of landing after Civil Twilight may
lead to difficulties with insurers. In the UK, the BGA publishes a
time table of last landing times for this and other reasons, for
application at BGA member clubs.

So the legal requirement for lights after sunset in the US could result
in refusal of coverage if you have an accident after sunset without
required lighting. In many states, there is no need for the insurance
company to show a causal relationship. Even if there is, they can argue
that if the flight was completed by sunset, the accident would not have
happened anyway.

In the US, the USNO provides on-line calculators that can be used for a
single day, or a whole year. They also make printed tables available on
request for a fee.

Graeme Cant wrote:
Ben,

Are you saying that all this discussion has been about NOTHING??

It was asserted the FARs had a requirement for nav and anti-collision
lights after sunset and the SSA-OLC Committee assumes that no gliders
have such lights so flights ending after sunset are deemed invalid.

I saw no sign that the argument was about flying after civil twilight -
ie, in the dark. So it wasn't about safety but about the technicality
of displaying lights between sunset and darkness.

Or did some posters not understand night doesn't begin at sunset?

Are you saying there's no such rule???

GC

Graeme, stop trolling. It's really getting old.

Doug.. read 91.209
BT

"Doug Haluza" wrote in message
ups.com...

Ben Jeffrey wrote:
US Federal Aviation Regulation definition of night: From FAR official
definitions
Night means the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the
beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the American Air
Almanac, converted to local time.

Equipment requirements for night flight: FAR 91.205(c)
(c) Visual flight rules (night). For VFR flight at night, the following
instruments and equipment are required:

(1) Instruments and equipment specified in paragraph (b) of this section.

(2) Approved position lights.

(3) An approved aviation red or aviation white anticollision light system
on
all U.S.-registered civil aircraft. Anticollision light systems initially
installed after August 11, 1971, on aircraft for which a type certificate
was issued or applied for before August 11, 1971, must at least meet the
anticollision light standards of part 23, 25, 27, or 29 of this chapter,
as
applicable, that were in effect on August 10, 1971, except that the color
may be either aviation red or aviation white. In the event of failure of
any
light of the anticollision light system, operations with the aircraft may
be
continued to a stop where repairs or replacement can be made.

(4) If the aircraft is operated for hire, one electric landing light.

I can find no reference in the FARs that further limits gliders to
operations between sunrise and sunset.

Technically, this is not a requirement for gliders. See the full
heading:

91.205: Powered civil aircraft with standard category U.S.
airworthiness certificates: Instrument and equipment requirements.

Note that this is for *powered* aircraft, so would apply to
motorgliders, but not pure gliders. However, if the glider has a
standard airworthiness certificate, it is probably limited to VFR day
only. If it is experimental, it probably has the same restriction; if
not, there would be specific requirements for night flying equipment
which would probably also include cockpit lighting in addition to
position and possibly anti-collision lights.

Yes, 91.209 is the sunset/sunrise position lighting requirement for all
aircraft. But night is twilight/twilight, and there are no extra
restrictions for night flight in gliders in Part 91. There probably are
restrictions in the specific airworthiness certification, but not in
general.

BT wrote:
Doug.. read 91.209
BT

"Doug Haluza" wrote in message
ups.com...

Technically, this is not a requirement for gliders. See the full
heading:

91.205: Powered civil aircraft with standard category U.S.
airworthiness certificates: Instrument and equipment requirements.

Note that this is for *powered* aircraft, so would apply to
motorgliders, but not pure gliders. However, if the glider has a
standard airworthiness certificate, it is probably limited to VFR day
only. If it is experimental, it probably has the same restriction; if
not, there would be specific requirements for night flying equipment
which would probably also include cockpit lighting in addition to
position and possibly anti-collision lights.

Mike the Strike wrote:
Complaining of a flight that lands a few minutes after sunset is, in my
view, picayune to the extreme. Analagous to trapping motorists who
exceed a speed limit by less than 1%. I'm sure no-one at the FAA
would ever worry about this unless it was a contributory factor to an
accident. I certainly know of no enforcement action by any authority in
such cases.

Mike, other than an occasional troll, there is no discussion of being
this picky. I routinely overtake state police cars while my cruise
control is set to 3-4 mph over the limit - while the folks with radar
detectors slam on their brakes and slow to match the officer's speed...

On the OLC, the whole point is to follow the rules within a reasonable
"sporting" environment. There is not movement (except by the trolls)
to specify *precisely* what constitutes unsportsmanlike conduct. That
is to be determined on a case by case basis.

Just as you wouldn't brag to "the world" about a 30 minute drive from
Turf to El Tiro in your new Ferrari, you shouldn't post similar
exploits on the OLC. There was arecent arrest based on someone who was
selling videos of an extremely fast drive down some highway, possibly
in Europe. This is what we don't want the OLC to condone.

-Tom