Night VFR following highways

Mxsmanic wrote:

From the article above I learned that things like wires and cables
are a real risk if you're very close to the highway, but only a helicopter
would be that low.


Why would you say that?

There are no differences in the allowed altitudes for fixed wing and
rotary wing aircraft. And in a helo, just like in fixed wing, the more
altitude the more options when there is a failure.

Gig 601XL Builder writes:

Why would you say that?

Helicopters can move more safely at very low altitudes because they are not
obligated to move forward at any minimum speed.

There are no differences in the allowed altitudes for fixed wing and
rotary wing aircraft.

There are big differences in flying over a road at 25 feet and 3 knots, and
flying over a road at 25 feet and 95 knots.

And in a helo, just like in fixed wing, the more altitude the
more options when there is a failure.

But at extremely low altitudes, the number of options required is reduced. If
the engine fails in a helicopter at ten feet above the ground, it's not really
a crisis. On a large flat area of ground, this can be true for an airplane,
too, but airplanes have the added danger of rapid forward movement.

"Ross" wrote in message
...
Mxsmanic wrote:
Is it a bad idea to fly VFR at night and navigate by following highways?
At
night outside large cities, there doesn't seem to be much else that's
visible.
It seems to me that if you can clearly see the highway, it can guide you
and
you can get a good idea of where you are with respect to terrain, so it
should
work. Are there hidden dangers in this? Do night VFR pilots ever/often
navigate by following highways? What other forms of visual navigation
are
usable at night?

Why would you want to when VORs ang GPSs are available? However, on a
clear night you can see the far away town lights. You just need to be sure
that the lights you see are the town you want. I'll stay with my GPS for
navigation.

--

Regards, Ross
C-172F 180HP
KSWI

I'm not IFR qualified and have followed known (to me) interstates on murky
nights when I was over the boonies and the murk was sufficient to block out
the moon and stars. In rural areas, headlights on the highways can be your
only visual tell-tale for up vs down on a murky night.

Been there, done that.

KB

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

Is it a bad idea to fly VFR at night and navigate by following
highways? At night outside large cities, there doesn't seem to be
much else that's visible. It seems to me that if you can clearly see
the highway, it can guide you and you can get a good idea of where you
are with respect to terrain, so it should work. Are there hidden
dangers in this? Do night VFR pilots ever/often navigate by following
highways? What other forms of visual navigation are usable at night?


I use the reflection of the table lamp on my monitor screen.

Bertie

Mxsmanic wrote:
Is it a bad idea to fly VFR at night and navigate by following highways?

Please note that MX is xposting to R.A.S.

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrote in message

Mxsmanic wrote:
Is it a bad idea to fly VFR at night and navigate by following highways?

Please note that MX is xposting to R.A.S.

He's asking a legitimate question, though. That's useful on R.A.S. (so
far), so I took it at face value.

-c

In rec.aviation.piloting Mxsmanic wrote:
Is it a bad idea to fly VFR at night and navigate by following highways? At
night outside large cities, there doesn't seem to be much else that's visible.
It seems to me that if you can clearly see the highway, it can guide you and
you can get a good idea of where you are with respect to terrain, so it should
work. Are there hidden dangers in this? Do night VFR pilots ever/often
navigate by following highways? What other forms of visual navigation are
usable at night?

About the only reason to follow highways (other than it just happens to
go where you want to go) at night is you are guaranteed that there is
nothing directly above the highway (such as a mountain peak), which is
handy for going through things like passes on dark nights and areas
dotted with high peaks.

However, the only way one would know visually that they are really
over most highways at night is from the real lights of real traffic.

Since there is no real traffic on your simulated highways with real
headlights, why would you care?


--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

writes:

Since there is no real traffic on your simulated highways with real
headlights, why would you care?

Actually, the sim does put traffic on the highways.

Mxsmanic wrote in
:

writes:

Since there is no real traffic on your simulated highways with real
headlights, why would you care?

Actually, the sim does put traffic on the highways.


No it doesn't. it makes little colored pixtels.


Bertie

On Feb 1, 1:51*pm, Bertie the Bunyip wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote :

writes:

Since there is no real traffic on your simulated highways with real
headlights, why would you care?

Actually, the sim does put traffic on the highways.

No it doesn't. it makes little colored pixtels.

Bertie

Actually, it simulates little colored pixels which simulate cars in a
simulated world so that people with nothing better to do can simulate
living their lives.