Last week I started doing some night flights with my instructor.  I hadn't flown at night since my PPL training back in the 1900's.     (Dude, I can actually say that now)  And that was only the minimum hours.  So, this was a good review.  My home airport is a black hole approach and was foreign to me even from my very limited earlier flights.  Man, I have to say, I was kinda freaked out about it!  I'm in a college town just on the east side of the cascades where towns are very far appart and I'm used to flying on the very well lit Seattle area. 

Anyway, the first landings were quite terrible, as one could imagine.  The one greaser I did have that night, I couldn't see anything but pitch black sky and really didn't know what I did, "right".  It was a good flight overall and was quite entertaining for my instructor. 

I did one more flight to another airport about 30 nm away and landed at their larger runway.  That was cool, did pretty good.  Then came back and did one landing at the home base. 

I had the usual problems of flaring too late at the home base with the narrow runway, and flaring way too early at the wider one, dispite the fact I had studied the expected illusions.  I still wasn't really ready to go out and solo at night yet.

So, this Thursday I had a two hour slot from 5-7 with sunset being 6.  My instructor gave me permition to call it quits early before it gets dark, or to stay out.  Well, I practiced my comm. maneuvers for about 40 minutes, then came back at 6 and started doing T/G's.  About 12 of those later, it was completely dark out.  Since I absolutly HATE feeling uncomfortable having to do something in an airplane, I decided to stick it out and practice the night landings.  It worked to be a great idea as each time around it got darker and darker, allowing me to gain a bit more confidence with the darkness each time around.  By the time I was done I was greasaing nearly every landing and man did it feel GREAT! 

I now feel fully confident in my night landing skills and will start doing my cross-country flights at night to gain experience with the night environment, and it helps with aircraft availability issues. 

Ugh, I hated that feeling of almost being afraid to fly at night.  Even with my first solo at my home airport five years ago (16 feet wide by 1,700 feet long, approaching over a 150' hill, and two 50 foot barns and a road) I was extremely nervous after my first landing.  But shaky knee's and all I went around four more times untill I got over it.

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I think this is the key to an enjoyable night flight. My first night flight with my instructor was scary. It was a dark night with an overcast, and the only light was from a very small town. We were also surrounded by mountains. It was the scariest flight I've ever been on. I was completely disoriented

Last saturday I went on a cross country flight which was mostly at night. It was beautifull. Clear skies, almost full moon, and calm winds made it one of the best flights i've been on

I love the smoothness of night flights.  Nothing beats taking off and having a nice, calm flight around the city and surrounding area.

"Brothel Lighting"  That's funny!  Dang it man, now that's all I'll ever think of!