tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056175.post3752033492054427798..comments2023-05-31T02:27:27.866-07:00Comments on Yankee Alpha Foxtrot Bravo: Silent NightHamishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08238239589217873611noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056175.post-44861053457096702452008-01-07T21:38:00.000-08:002008-01-07T21:38:00.000-08:00Yes, extended flight over water in a light single ...Yes, extended flight over water in a light single is inherently less safe than over land, but again, it's a somewhat manageable risk. The ILS into Monterey is where this most crosses my mind, as you're often vectored quite a lot further out over the Pacific than you could possibly glide back to land, and I typically seem to do that approach in IMC. Similarly, one of the standard IFR departure clearances from Arcata has you fly way out over the cold and rough Pacific (I've done it).<BR/><BR/>In both cases, I accept the risk because a) you're in radar contact and working with ATC fairly closely; and b) there's a Coast Guard station nearby in both cases. OK, that last bit sounds glib, but in neither case are you so far out of the way that you couldn't be rescued fairly quickly, and since you're IFR, it's likely that someone knows there's a problem almost as soon as it happens. It'd be different if I were being vectored dozens of miles out to sea out of radar range; that's yet to happen for me, so far at least.<BR/><BR/>But again, there's no denying it's not as safe as VFR over land, or driving, for that matter. It's one of the risks I take, I guess.Hamishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08238239589217873611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056175.post-58803060888246541482008-01-07T08:46:00.000-08:002008-01-07T08:46:00.000-08:00Similarily, what about accepting the risks of a cl...Similarily, what about accepting the risks of a clearance over water? How safe is that in single-pilot light planes? What if it's IFR? How common is an over-water clearance?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056175.post-19022036727647294402007-12-30T09:56:00.000-08:002007-12-30T09:56:00.000-08:00I think night VFR is definitely less safe than day...I think night VFR is definitely less safe than day VFR in almost every way, but the risks are manageable enough to make it worthwhile, at least for me. I have an instrument rating, which makes things like possible disorientation a little less likely, and might help me get home safely if I accidentally get into clouds (both things are typically easier at night). The biggie for me, though, is the inability to select any sort of emergency landing spot at night.<BR/><BR/>Having said all that, I suspect that if, like me, you mostly do night VFR flights over familiar terrain and locations (with enough ground lighting to give you a good horizon and feel for where you are), and you're watching the weather like a hawk, the risk isn't much worse than during the day. After all, if the engine fails when you're over (say) Berkeley, probably the only realistically-safe place to land is going to be in the Bay anyway, and landing there's as hard in the day as at night, more-or-less...<BR/><BR/>So yes, if you're good at identifying and managing those risks, it's possible to get them down to an acceptable level. But I personally wouldn't do long night VFR cross-countries over unfamiliar terrain without considerable planning and / or treating it as really an IFR flight done without a filed IFR flight plan.Hamishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08238239589217873611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7056175.post-81947089843287334792007-12-28T14:01:00.000-08:002007-12-28T14:01:00.000-08:00How "safe" is night VFR? I ask as a non-pilot, but...How "safe" is night VFR? I ask as a non-pilot, but someone who has taken a few flight lessons and is thinking about going for my license someday. I hear about how safety in flying is relative: it's all about risk management and how many risks you want to accept. What's your take on night VFR?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com