How do commercial pilots fly at night?

For aircraft at high altitudes, air traffic controllers and radar become the pilot’s eyes at night. For low altitude flights; city lights, night vision goggles & landing lights help the pilots to see outside of their cockpit. Cockpit instrumentation is used to fly at all other times.

Can pilots fly at night?

It is important to note that pilots certified as sport and recreational pilots are not permitted to fly at night–between sunset and sunrise. For night flights away from the vicinity of the airport, pilots should obtain flight instruction in night cross country navigation and basic attitude instrument flying.

Do airplanes know it’s dark at night?

Of course, just as with flying over water, the airplane doesn’t know it’s dark, so the problems of night flying are more related to pilots than airplanes. Here’s a short list of considerations for flying at night.

How do planes avoid each other when flying at night?

Other planes will be lit up with navigation lights (red and green) and a pulsing beacon to draw the eye. Also during the night pilots will be flying IFR, which means the Air traffic control will be keeping planes away from each other. And they hope no birds will be flying in their path.

Why do planes fly with lights on at night?

Also during the night pilots will be flying IFR, which means the Air traffic control will be keeping planes away from each other. And they hope no birds will be flying in their path. A light on the plane won’t be enough to light for obstacle any way and provide a nuisance on the ground for the people trying to sleep.

Why don’t pilots fly in the dark?

It’s easier to become disoriented in the dark, so there’s a slightly higher risk of “temporary disorientation,” as the military calls it. We call it lost. Also, pilots flying at night have a greater sense of get-there-itis, and that may mean decisions they wouldn’t make in daylight when things are actually visible.