Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 19
ASK AOPA
BY CRAIG BROWN
SOLO AT NIGHT
ONLY IF YOU HAVE A
SMART PLAN
Q: Can I sign off a student pilot to fly solo at night after completing their three hours
of night training required for the private certificate?
A: Yes, you can. Regulations do not prohibit a student pilot from flying solo at night.
They do, however, impose some requirements and limitations on solo flight at night.
For one, the student must receive training at the specific airport where those solo
flights are to be done. Additionally, a logbook endorsement is required, and that is
valid for a period of 90 days; after that, more training and a new endorsement must
be received. Those requirements exist in FAR 61.87(o).
Now to throw a monkey wrench into the works, many flight schools prohibit
student pilot solo flights at night, usually because the school's insurance policy
does not allow for it. If a student is the aircraft owner, check the insurance policy to
determine whether night flight is covered or prohibited. This, of course, is not an
FAA restriction, but an important consideration, nonetheless.
Regulations and insurance aside, consider this real-life example: The instructor
wanted to send his student solo from Cape Cod Gateway Airport (HYA) to Nantucket
Memorial Airport (ACK), a short 27-mile flight. If you pick up a sectional
and look at that route, you will see the plan was to send an inexperienced pilot with
25 hours, no instrument rating, minimal night time logged, and very little, if any,
instrument flying practice, over the featureless black void of the Nantucket Sound,
under a nighttime sky. Not my idea of a smart plan.
Certainly, a moonlit night over lots of ground lights would be infinitely better.
Pause for a minute to consider, evaluate, and attempt to mitigate or minimize the
risks. And remember the sage words of Mr. Miyagi: a license never replaces your
eyes, ears, or brain.
CRAIG BROWN is a senior aviation technical specialist in the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
pilotassist@aopa.org
JARGON
AFTA
AOPA Flight Training Advantage (AFTA) individually
customizes every lesson to keep pace with
you as you learn. Know what to expect and how to
prepare before every flight, and instantly see how
you've performed on each activity with a detailed
lesson history. Check your training progress and
access tips, videos, and articles to help you master
critical skills. aopa.org/afta
FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH/APRIL 2023
19
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Flight Training - March/April 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - March/April 2023
Contents
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - Intro
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - Cover1
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - Cover2
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - Contents
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 2
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 3
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 4
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 5
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 6
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 7
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 8
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 9
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 10
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 11
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 12
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 13
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 14
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 15
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 16
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 17
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 18
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 19
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 20
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 21
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 22
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 23
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 24
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 25
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 26
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 27
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 28
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 29
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 30
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 31
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Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 37
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Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 40
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 41
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 42
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Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 49
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 50
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Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 55
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - 56
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - Cover3
Flight Training - March/April 2023 - Cover4
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