Night lights and night flights of fancy

new lighting in our courtyard

I recently become aware of a brand new blog, being written by a pilot friend, and it reminded me that I'd probably not written much since the big Kiwanis fundraiser in early December.

But what topic would be appropriate?  I decided to put together two events from the past week, night lights and last night's first night flight.   So, I've cobbled together the appropriate pictures, and here it goes.....

A glorious sunset.....thank you, Lord

That picture at the bottom shows the aircraft prior to being used.  You'll note there is a nice warm plane cover on her (she being 817 Sierra Papa), which of course would have to be removed prior to flight - as I discovered, night flying has SOME visibility, while flying with the windshield totally covered does not.  Back to the story.

I left the house for my first lesson in the required ten takeoff-and-full-stop landings requirement for a private pilots license around 2230 Zulu (or 6:30 PM CST for those who have yet to master this GMT stuff).  The landscape lights were NOT on, as they are now on a photo cell and it wasn't dark enough.  They would greet me upon my return however.

The sky looks magnificent at nautical twilight, and sunsets in Florida are just magnificent anyway - last night was no different than the night I had snapped the photo chosen.  Oh, nautical twilight is that period one hour following actual sunset, but does not count as night flying - it had to be actual night time for the required number of ten takeoffs and landings.  Last night I flew for exactly one hour, per the Hobbs meter in 7SP - its the device that measures time spent actually flying.  In the case of a flight school, it also measures "billable hours".

I could probably go into HOW it works, but then you'd not care, and its not on my test away.  The tachometer measure actually engine running time, so one knows when to change the oil and other important stuff.  I have to record both times in and out - I think of them as Calvin and Hobbs.  That of course was a wonderful comic strip, not longer written about a young boy and his anthropomorphic Tiger.  Perhaps Seven Sierra Papa will be my tiger.

And, once again I digress - back to last night and it was a very cold night, with some moonlight over Sarasota Bay as I flew six of my required minimum ten takeoffs and landings to a full stop within exactly one hour.  I would not have gotten six full stop landings into an hour during the day at SRQ, but a night it (sort of like Longboat Key) slows appreciably and by nine PM they're ready to roll up the runways.   So much so, that the tower was very gracious to offer me the opportunity to "back taxi" each time, thus saving time and fuel.  So, fuel cost would run about $55 for ten gallons used.

Had I done this with a school plane, I'd have to add in the $160 per hour rental fee, but owing my own aircraft negated that cost.  So the total cost was $65 for the flight instructor, who was a bit concerned about my approaches, but seemed to like my landings.  I was only concerned that every time I went for the flaps I'd end up brushing her knees and get distracted.  Maybe I should fly those last four with Sherman, my other instructor.  Sherman soloed me down in Venice, but Elina has yet to turn me loose at SRQ (Sarasota Bradenton International).  When she says I'm ready to do those solo cross-country trips (having done my three required with an instructor aboard), I'll be like Calvin in his final comic strip appearance after 3,150 episodes.  It showed he and Hobbes with his sled on a freshly fallen snow,  ready to face the wonder of what lay beyond.  Turning to his tiger, he simply said "It's a magical world, ol' buddy.......let;s go exploring."

My two vehicles for flights of fancy.  The license plate holder reads "too close for missiles, switching to guns."