Night Flight

I went out to the local airport just after sunset, did a preflight and got up into the air as night fell. I flew around for awhile to run the clock well past an hour after sunset (the time when shooting landings counts for night currency purposes under FAR 6.57(b)(1)). I shot three landings (to a full stop) and just generally had some fun.

It's getting cold here, temps are in the mid-20s as I type this. Old airplanes are sort of like old VWs for heat, so I wear an insulated jumpsuit and a heavy coat over that. One winter, I saw a guy get out of an Aerostar and he put on a jacket as he climbed out. Never mind the speedy IFR capable twin, just to have heat in flight would be luxury to me.

Besides the cold, the tiedown area for my airplane is not lighted, so I have to do the post-flight securing by the headlights of my car. It's not as easy as it sounds and by the time the airplane is put away and I've driven home, it makes for a late evening. So I just don't fly at night as much anymore.