*** Posted by Chris Gilliland ***
Recently I had a conversation about how pilots get disoriented flying at night. My theory is since you have no visual point of reference and low visibility, flying at night is much more difficult than flying during daylight hours. I have read that pilots have gotten so caught up with flight logistics that they totally lose their spatial orientation. I would most definitly appreciate your opinion on the subject.

Thanks,
Chris

*** Posted by run ***
Hi there

It is correct that it can be disorienting to fly at night. It can be hard to see the horizon at night and lights on the ground can start to look like stars and that can really mess with your head. Then you have to thrust your instruments and believe in what they are telling you.

run


[Recently I had a conversation about how pilots get disoriented flying at night. My theory is since you have no visual point of reference and low visibility, flying at night is much more difficult than flying during daylight hours. I have read that pilots have gotten so caught up with flight logistics that they totally lose their spatial orientation. I would most definitly appreciate your opinion on the subject.

Thanks,
Chris]

*** Posted by Rapier ***
Hi Chris,

It is difficult to fly at night so as a result you have to rely on your instruments and pay close attention to them at all times. Pilots should also look outside the cockpit to look for any other aircraft or point of reference (if possible). Say for instance an airfield that is fairly close by can easily be seen and cross checked with a knee board map or a flight system. These day's pilots have a bonus of GPS, ILS, ATC and their own skills to help them acheive a safe landing. When you think about it pilots are trained well to flying at night, since most or initial strike missions occurr at night they must be very skilled to cope with any conditions. This is to say that al pilots are very skilled in what they do so they deserve the credit they get.

Regards

Rapier