How dark is too dark?

[Marty_d]

While trundling home from work today at dusk I spotted red & green tip lights. A bit later an older-style Cessna floated over the highway on finals to a local strip.

 

This strip is grass, short, surrounded by forest and on a slight slope on top of a hill. There are definitely no runway lights and the plane didn't have landing lights on (unless he switched them on in the 100m between highway & strip).

 

This was at 5:09pm. Sunset was 4:43pm. Everyone on the road had headlights on and the street lights were too.

 

I just can't figure out how he saw the strip well enough to land! If you're on this site man... how do you do it??

 

 

[facthunter]

Night vision goggles or eats a bucket of carrots a day. Nev

 

 

[coljones]

End of daylight in Hobart at this time of year is about 1705LMT. Facthunter has the only possible explanations.

 

 

[SDQDI]

Night vision goggles or eats a bucket of carrots a day. Nev

Failing that you could carry a rabbits foot or maybe a four leaf clover.

On a side note for our area last light is listed for today as being 26 or so minutes after sunset but that is affected by plenty of factors and certainly sounds as though this one left it too late.

 

 

[AVOCET]

s

 

End of daylight in Hobart at this time of year is about 1705LMT. Facthunter has the only possible explanations.

skyview synthetic vision .

there's a clip on dynon web site where a plane a t night flys down between hills & lands at night . the synthetic vision guides you down though the boxes

 

something I wouldn't try

 

mike

 

 

[nomadpete]

That strip would need all the luck and skill he could muster. Winter Tassie twilight is pretty dull compared to mainland light (not joking). I guess he knows the strip so well, he can do it in his sleep. Or he still had a bit of light left over from Daylight Saving.

 

 

[Marty_d]

That strip would need all the luck and skill he could muster. Winter Tassie twilight is pretty dull compared to mainland light (not joking). I guess he knows the strip so well, he can do it in his sleep. Or he still had a bit of light left over from Daylight Saving.

He's often flying around the local area and I'm pretty sure it's his base, so yes I guess he would know the strip very well.

 

Night vision goggles or eats a bucket of carrots a day. Nev

You and my wife have something in common Nev - NVG's were her response too...

 

I'll have to drop in and watch him land one evening. If he gets out of the plane and glows orange, I'll know it's the carrots.

 

 

[Guest Nobody]

it's not really something to laugh about, dismiss or assume he knows what he is doingIt could one day end in disaster

 

Just because someone keep doing something doesn't mean it is safe as we have seen time and time again

But it probably wasn't illegal!!!!

 

Last light in Hobart was 5:14 today according to ozrunways.

 

In Launceston it was 5:19. The plane landed at 5:09.

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

Dark is something I really try and avoid, having given myself a bit of a fright.

 

I got caught out returning from a 100hrly when storms developed quicker than forecast along my path and I had a lengthy delay getting past them. I still got to the destination more than 10mins before official last light but it was really black, the thunderheads were solid and to the west by that stage and blocking any ambient light from the sky. I had quite a job even spotting the airstrip and white hangars.

 

Gladly I recalled a trick an instructor had once yarned about and put my sunglasses back on until short final then whipped them off. The dilated pupils certainly gave me a better view for the landing.

 

That's a thought to keep in mind for people who might be planning to have a tinted canopy on their homebuilt, it would be a real disadvantage if you're ever caught out late in the day.

 

 

[flyerme]

Last light notes from book " the diary of jack flyer"

 

I had been enjoying the most majestic and wonderful flight this evening . I found the air silky smooth and just enjoyed flying around home. I been up there a while when I noticed the missis waiving frantically from the paddock ( which was odd that she was out there so I knew somthing was wrong?) I turned and lined up my runway with clear vision but when I began rounding out it suddenly went dark? Very dark! I could not see my instruments , let alone the ground! I guessed my hight and flared only to drop like a brick impacting the runway heavily... I came to a stop and got out snd was shocked at how dark it really was? He'll from a couple hundred feet I could see clear?

 

It's amazing how the reflection of light tricks one up there to thinking it's still light!

 

The joys of the early days .... So have we learnt?

 

I know I have..... Stick to sun down NOT LAST LIGHT,!!!

 

 

[facthunter]

There is a more gradual lessening of light in the higher latitudes. Anyhow not allowing a fair margin isn't SMART planning. IF you like pushing the boundaries have a good look at your motives. You are NOT a GOOD PILOT to pull these things off and will run out of luck one day. Good pilots apply commonsense, and good judgement to the management of their flight operations. Nev

 

 

[ayavner]

GOOD pilots fly so that they don't get themselves into something they'd have to be an exceptional pilot to get out of.