First Night Flight in ZDL

At the flight controls in the dark over Durban

The onboard computer screen is reflected in the cockpit screen against the night backdrop

Instructor Warren with his red headlamp

Wow, awesome, incredible are the few words to describe my first experience night flying to get my night rating in the red rocket.

It was so dark and the landing lights barely sufficient to see around, especially as the lighting at Virginia Airport is fairly minimal. The take-off was fine, although the cabin lighting in the Sling is not really sufficient if you are trying to look at the conventional instruments and the EFIS lighting too bright if you are looking at that. My instructor Warren had his own headlamp which enabled me to see the conventional instruments which we were using for the training.. even the compass was dark.. what happened to phosphorescence on the little stripes so they shine up in the dark? We spend over an hour in the general flying area just inland of Amanzimtoti doing various exercises. I opened up the sun canopy and the moonlight and stars were shining in. On the way home we had to descend as clouds were coming in over the harbour... then the struggle to find the runway. Even the street lanps along the road were brighter. Landing could have been better, but overall an incredible experience..

The requirements for a night rating are a further 5 hours dual instruction (having just done 5 with my PPL course) and 5 hours of ground school, a cross country over 150 nautical miles, a flight test and an online exam. Not too hectic.