Flight Training - August 2023 - 13

ASI TIPS
BY TERRIE MEAD
THE BLACK HOLE DEPARTURE
LYING IN WAIT BEYOND THE RUNWAY
AS A PILOT IN TRAINING, YOU'LL BE
required to plan a flight and then fly the
plan for at least one night cross-country.
You'll learn how poorly humans see in
waning light, the benefits of red light, the
parallels between night and instrument
flying, and the nuances when planning
a night flight. Your instructor will also
introduce you to darkness-induced
illusions.
There's something alluring about
flying at night. The stillness of the air, the
faint glow of city lights, and the seemingly
endless expanse of darkness all combine
to create a mesmerizing experience. But
when departing a well-lit runway into a
moonless night over water or a featureless
terrain, a pilot can quickly find themselves
in an unsafe situation.
An illusion is a discrepancy between
what we see and what we feel (think:
seat-of-the-pants). A pilot experiences the
black hole effect when flying a nighttime
approach into an airport with inadequate
illumination between the airplane and the
landing runway. This illusion causes the
pilot to misjudge the aircraft as too high, so
they adjust their position.
However, there's another black hole
effect not as well known. One waiting
at the departure end of the airfield. The
moon has set, and as the aircraft accelerates
down the runway, darkness floods
the distance between the pilot and any
visible horizon, rendering flight by outside
references impossible. These are the
circumstances of the around-the-world
father and son team Babar and Haris
Suleman in 2014. Although the NTSB
could not determine the accident's probable
cause, the prevailing opinion is that
the black hole effect may be a contributing
factor.
The Sulemans set out from their Indiana
home to circumnavigate the globe
in the shortest time in a single-engine
airplane, and Haris, a 17-year-old private
pilot, would be the youngest to lead such
an endeavor.
As their Beechcraft Bonanza
accelerated down the airstrip, its turbonormalizing
engine roared with a confidence
that reassured its onlookers, lifting
off just before reaching the runway's end.
The team's handler received a tracking
ping at 9:56 p.m. local time, which
confirmed the Bonanza was airborne.
Another ping followed shortly after,
indicating the pilots were passing 97 feet
at 77 knots.
As the father-son crew continued to
climb away from the bright lights of the
airport and beyond any visible horizon,
observers on the ground noticed
something wasn't quite right. Witnesses
recounted that the craft had stopped
climbing, leveled off, then, within seconds,
began banking to the right, continuing its
fatal roll before slipping silently into the
unforgiving sea.
To avoid this trap, you must maintain
situational awareness and remain alert to
your surroundings. Adopt a bird's-eye view
when checking out a new airport or even an
unfamiliar runway at a known airport. Add
Google Earth to your preflight. Closely look
at the environment around the airport to
identify any potential hazards. Is the airport
near a bustling cityscape or in the middle of
sprawling cornfields?
Thorough preparation, staying alert,
and using good judgment are key when
flying, especially at night. Don't be shy.
Seek advice from your flight instructor or
other experienced pilots if you're unsure
about any aspect of your planning.
terrie.mead@aopa.org
aopa.org/ft/black-hole-departure
FLIGHT TRAINING AUGUST 2023
13
MIKE FIZER
http://www.aopa.org/ft/black-hole-departure
Flight Training - August 2023

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