Last light

A wise pilot might also add another half hour to that for every 100nm from the destination. That extra time will allow for delays such as headwinds, diversions, weather at the destination, an unplanned stop, late passengers at the departure point, weather en route, landing at a destination in the shadow of terrain, an overcast day bringing the effective last light forward or the aircraft slower than expected.

What if you are up-country and on arrival at a destination you find that the strip is unserviceable or that the preceding aircraft has done a wheels-up landing and stopped in the middle of the runway? Yes, it does happen. That alone is good enough reason to have a Plan B to be able to get to a diversion aerodrome, one that is known to be suitable for your aircraft, that the weather is ok there, that you can get there and land before last light, and for which you have adequate fuel.

And what is last light? The AIP sets out a wordy definition: Night “is that period between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight”. You can work out the time of last light by way of using the charts given in the VFR Guide or, more conveniently these days, from NAIPS. Once last light time is known the pilot can then work backwards in planning to be on the ground before last light.

Think ahead, plan ahead

Flying up-country with passengers can bring additional pressures, particularly if flying a single-engine aircraft. The pilot needs to make it 100 per cent clear to all passengers that they need to be back at the aircraft by a certain time to ensure that the aircraft can get to the destination before last light, and that failure to meet that time will mean an overnight stay. Perhaps best to give the lead passenger a written note of the time to be back at the aircraft, and building in an undisclosed time margin may help.

As the pilot, if you realise that you cannot get to the destination before last light you need to make a command decision: Do you stay at or return to the point of departure or divert to a suitable location? And even if you have a current NVFR rating you are not approved to transport charter passengers in a single-engine aircraft under the NVFR. The new Part 61 NVFR rating flight review every two years will no doubt see a reduction in the number of current NVFR pilots.

Having a NVFR rating has its complications too. Is the weather suitable to get to the destination? Is there runway lighting? Is there a large area of few or no lights to fly over? The 2011 fatal Lake Eyre helicopter accident is a stark reminder of the dangers of flying NVFR over remote areas with few or no lights on the ground to assist the flight.

In an ideal world every pilot should have some night flying experience even if only in the circuit. It brings home the difference and dangers between day and night flight.

Every pilot has a flight kit. Part of that should include a torch, one that gets a regular battery check. A pilot may land in the gloom 10 minutes before last light but there is the tying down to be done, the paperwork to be closed off and the aircraft secured. Having a working torch will assist.

Even getting into the circuit shortly before last light can have dangers. If the strip has a westerly alignment and a westerly wind the pilot can be landing with the sun in the eyes unless there is some blanking cloud cover. In this situation raising one’s height in the pilot’s seat and bringing down the bill on a baseball cap will help blank out the suns rays to affect a safe landing.

Another alternative could be to do a down-wind down-sun landing, if the wind allows. Weather often, but not always, improves slightly in the hour before last light.

Yet another move could be to do a few orbits until the sun has actually set below the horizon and then make the landing.

Think and plan ahead for last light and you’ll be on the ground before you get caught out.

Contact Dave by email: [email protected]

That alone is good enough reason to have a Plan B.