night flying around PAO

[andyman]

Well I just spent an hour flying around half moon bay and PAO at night and I must say its really nice.  Did some pattern work around midnight.  I must have flown from PAO to HAF a zillion times during my training but damn its pretty scary to fly it at night without my 696/w terrain.  I knew I was well clear of the mountain over the Woodside VOR but its just pretty scary not to be able to see the ground and have to trust my knowledge of the area. 

After tonight I'm making it a higher priority to install my 430W and 696.  I will never fly without terrain awarness again! 

[john ferrell]

Nice forum, Andy.

I love flying at night.  ATC is generally much less stressed, visibility is often much better, and the skies are often free of traffic.

The big negative, however, is that it is very easy to get disoriented when handflying on a dark night over black terrain.

Also, my night landings are just never quite as smooth as I would like. <smile>

Safe flights,
-john