The student will become familiar with night operations, runway incursion avoidance, aeromedical factors and illusions.

The student should display an understanding of night operations, runway incursion avoidance aeromedical factors and illusions.

• Aircraft & Airport Lighting for Night Ops
  • Sunset to sunrise, aircraft must have position lights (FAR 91.209)
  • Anticollision lights (prior to 8/11/71) (FAR 91.205)
  • Landing light - if operated for hire (FAR 91.205)
  • Electrical supply
  • Spare fuses
  • Airport beacons
  • Runway lights
  • Taxiway lights
  • VASI/PAPI
  • Instrument approach lights
• Runway Incursion Avoidance
• Night Local Orientation
• Physiological Aspects of Night Flight
• Visual Scanning Techniques and Considerations
• Night Visual Illusions
  • Distant stationary lights can be mistaken for stars or other aircraft
  • Cloud layers or even the northern lights can confuse a pilot and indicate a false visual horizon.
  • A black-hole approach occurs when the landing is made from over water or non-lighted terrain where the runway lights are the only source of light
  • Bright runway and approach lighting systems, especially where few lights illuminate the surrounding terrain, may create the illusion of being lower or having less distance to the runway
• Night Approach and Landing
• Spatial Disorientation, Motion Sickness and Inflight Illusions
• Hypoxia, Hyperventilation, and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
  • Hypoxia - Lack of oxygen to the tissues
    • Remedy by using supplemental O2
  • Hyperventiliation - Too little CO2 in the blood
    • Remedy by breathing into a bag, talking, or slowing breathing rate
  • Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - Susceptibility increases as altitude increases
• Middle Ear and Sinus Problems
• Stress, Fatigue, and Dehydration

• PHAK Ch. 17
• AFH Ch. 10 Night Ops
• FAR 91.205 Equip Requirements
• FAR 91.209 Aircraft Lights
• AIM Ch. 8 Medical Facts for Pilots (p539)