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It's not just coastal areas that will bite you. On a moonless night, away from the big cities, you can get a bad case of the 'darks.' River valleys (like the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys, where I fly at night) often start to form radiation fog just before or just after sunset. You really have to have a sense of what the trend is before you set out. By the way, these conditions often are NOT forecast in briefings. They are bad enough to kill you but not bad enough for DUATS to tell you about! I don't think I'd be happy flying VFR at night in such areas (even in CAVU conditions) without that artificial horizon. With it, I'm content. Alert, but content. I keep my head moving to stay oriented, and check airspeed, altitude, and attitude against the cockpit instruments constantly, just to make sure that I'm not getting turned around or misled by some strange feature of terrain that looks odd in the diminished light. I try to stay over familiar geography, and to be well above any obstruction within many many miles. And to really know where I am all the time. That said, I know it's riskier (by far) than day flight. However, it makes me happy so I will continue to do it. Greg ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bz8Sid.bAhN69 Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
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