Trike night flying

[wiskeyfoxtrot]

Check it out ..... dont think i would have the kahoonas for it ........ hhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YGtMgRVqhUave

[afterburn]

(Net vir interresantheid) 'n Paar jaar gelede het die "Recces" met Raptor trikes nagvlugte gedoen. Ek het een aand oppad huistoe een in die nag sien vlieg. Met "Strobes" nogal. Hierdie 912 trikes het instumente met "back lighting, UHF Radio's" ens gehad. Weet nie hoeveel van hulle oor is en of die "Recces" hulle nog gebruik nie. Ek het ook een van die trikes in 'n hanger by Swartkops en op 'n ander geleentheid een wat in was vir herstelwerk in Aviate Products se fabriek.

[Piet Bez]

In Dubai en Abu Dhabi word dit reeds gedoen so kan nie sien met die regte instrumente en opleiding dat dit onmoontlik is nie.

[bryan]

Thanks Bundy, I do not want guys to own up ( I know a few who have done this) but what I meant was if you have by any chance flown at night overseas or if you by some great chance have been one of those Recces, please share some ideas. I do not see why the airfield would have to be controlled since many private fields are well lit. Jip I DO agree with instrumentation just wondering what minimum requirements would be. And I do not advocate just jumping out and flying under any conditions. I realize that one would choose your flight to be conducted under as perfect as it could be weather. REMEMBER we fly for fun NOT because we have to. A night rating would be given to some one who has medically passed and trained. I would hope that people can realize that a trike is an AIRCRAFT not a toy and CAN do what many other aircraft can do. I love the mature way the pilots are responding and not shooting the idea down. Thanks guys

[CVStrong]

My personal take would be that you would require a runway that is far more flat and level than those of our average microlight strips...

That coupled with proper runway lighting, PAPIs and the like and you could do this safely...

The biggest problem I see the powers that be having with the whole concept is our reputation as thugs that make bad choices, they feel the need to make the decisions for us... This is why every time a trike pilot does something stupid, and irritates the powers that be, ideas like this become more and more difficult to even consider getting off the ground...

Cheers

Craig

[Bundy]

Here is another video of a trike flying at night, (legally) in the states.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8kG3SWSjeI

My cahoonas are too small like Whiskey's ....sorry Brian.

The question is not really whether or not a trike CAN fly at night....of course it can....the question should be....SHOULD it?

Freeze the video at 04:00.....and ask yourself....where are you gonna go?

[Bundy]

PS....

....I don't post the above because I believe trike flying at night should remain illegal....

...just that I am too sh#t scared to try it!

[mulderpm]

In Dubai en Abu Dhabi word dit reeds gedoen so kan nie sien met die regte instrumente en opleiding dat dit onmoontlik is nie.

My feelings exactly. If your aircraft is equipped for night flight and you are night rated, then why not. It has nothing to do with the number of engines or aircraft flying characteristics. How did Mike Blyth and his co-pilots fly around the earth in an Aerotrike Cobra with a 582 and then in the Sling 2 and Sling 4 with 912's. These are all NTCA, LSA class aircraft. Their approved flight plans included many hours of night flight. Many authorities including our CAA approved their flight plan.

Currently, night flying is illegal in South Africa in an LSA class aircraft and for safety sake will most probably stay that way.

Some countries, like in the USA, have the philosophy to try to impose as little as possible regulation, so as to not hamper the sport, but, then on the flip side, it has been proven over and over that the more regulated a sport is, the safer it becomes. The number of fatalities is proportional to the quality of the training and the safety regulations. Ask Robinson Helicopters how they improved their safety reputation.

[Wargames]

....the question should be....SHOULD it?

Unfortunately NO!

I have a Night Rating on my PPL. It can be done, and it has been done. The problem with it is that everybody will comply with all the rules, until that 1 guy wants to check his house at night for "security" purposes and someone decides that he was a distraction on a beautiful evening.

On the other hand...

How many guys have been flying illegal by coming in to land at 16 min past sunset? Is the lighting that much worse at 30 min before sunrise than 15 min before? No. So for the purposes of flying legal after sunset and before sunrise, for sure it will be better. To fly during night is great, but you cant see anything and cant spot a good landing spot in case of an emergency. That is exactly what the landing light is for. You switch it on, and if you don't like what you see, you turn it off again.

So, for ppl the following is required:

Aircraft:
1. 2 serviceable landing lights.
2. Rotating beacon / stobe lights
3. Navigation lights. (green right, red left, white back)
4. torch for each crew member.
5. power supllied from aircraft to provide adequate illumination for all instruments and equipment.

Rating:
5 hours Intruments flying
5 hours night time flying
5 take offs and landings.
dual cross country of 1.5 hours and landing 2 aerodromes.

Problem: Who is going to give the rating?

This is my take on it. It would be nice, but unfortunately the power that be will make the rating very difficult to achieve because they already feel that our training is insufficient.
Furthermore, it is the commissioner of CAA responsibility to make sure everything is done safely, and he already feels that we are not safe enough.

Unfortunately we are our own downfall in this, because we don't police ourselves well enough.
We need to change the perception of the masses to change his opinion.

[mulderpm]

Exactly wargames. The CAA regulation is there to protect us against ourselves.

[Bundy]

Unfortunately we are our own downfall in this, because we don't police ourselves well enough.
We need to change the perception of the masses to change his opinion.

Couldn't agree more. (Pssst...he's a she! )

Exactly wargames. The CAA regulation is there to protect us against ourselves.

That is only true for pilots who obey them.

[Duck Rogers]

Personally, I would not want to fly any type of single engine aerie at night. Any need for an emergency landing is not likely to end well over a darkened landscape.

Bundy, its very simple really.
If you have an engine out, switch on the landing light to see where you going down..........if you don't like what you see, switch it off again!

[Bundy]

[Gyronaut]

I have a friend who has flown with a friend in a black trike at night. In the low veld. It was awesome, he tells me.
This same friend had to help balance rotors when tip-lights were used and quite a few night circuits were flown in a Gyro, with the necessary approval of course, I am told.
This same friend subsequently found himself arriving at his destination several minutes after dark (admits it was all his fault) and was able to execute a perfect joining and landing - he says thanks to the experience gained in the trike and gyro.

It might be great experience with a qualified instructor, close to the runway on a moonlit night, yes. Thats it.

As for me, I will not fly if I do not have a safe LZ in sight (anymore). Klaar. That prevents me from flying at night.
Can't stay a member of Sir Jim's LCC otherwise.

Len

[mulderpm]

Thanks gyronaut. That brings me to another thought.

In the interest of safety I believe it to be a good idea to have registered/approved advanced training (practical and theory) courses for LSA pilots which prepares them to some extent for conditions which are not favourable. I am thinking in terms of flying in severe turbulence (like across mountain ranges/escarpments), low visibility flying caused by low light, night flight and of course cloud & mist. The idea is not to provoke flying in these conditions but to try and prepare a pilot in the event of encountering these conditions unintentional. Some may argue that if you encounter such conditions you suffer from bad planning but, you can ask any of the experienced pilots who have flown cross country for 400Km or more, no amount of planning can accurately predict weather changes during your trip. I always have one word of advice to my pax accompanying me on a cross country trip, we are bound to encounter unfavourable conditions at some point on this trip (usually rain & turbulence)...,... Do you still want to come with?.

On the flip side, training like this requires rated LSA instructors and most importantly, uptake.

Avoidance of unfavourable conditions is still the best option. The old saying "you can rather wish you were flying than wish you were on the ground" always holds. Fly the cabbage patch?.

Just a thought from my side.