The infatuation pilots have for flying often doesn't become true love until they've experienced the exhilaration of their first nighttime flight, soaring above the earth on a crystal-clear, moonlit evening when, even at low altitude, the horizon seems to stretch on forever. Despite the sobering beauty of flying at night, it makes every aspect of piloting more difficult and complex. It requires pilots to make many adjustments, not only in how they use their equipment and execute flight procedures, but also in the way they think and feel. This is the first book to approach the subject of safe night flying both as a matter of technique and of personal fitness. No other book combines practical information on the latest aircraft technology with the most current research into the human factors of flight safety. Night Flying-which draws on the unique perspectives of a former NASA scientist specializing in human factors and an Airline Transport-rated pilot, flight instructor, and engineer-is a potentially life-saving guide for lightplane pilots who have little or no night flying experience. Haines and Flatau first examine important physical and mental health issues affecting the ability to fly safely at night, including age, medications, drug and alcohol use, fatigue, nutrition, emotional stress, vision, and susceptibility to vertigo. Then they describe the use of special equipment and methods designed to make night flying easier: lighting and navigational aids, preflight planning, checklists and inspections, visual scanning, takeoff and landing techniques, in-flight emergency procedures, and much more. Plus, the appendix includes a helpful review of all Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) related to night flying.
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