Though most passenger flights occur during the daytime, many airplanes get the opportunity to continue to fly at night. The majority of the flights originating in the United States that are outbound to Europe, Africa and the Middle East leave in the late afternoon and fly during the night where they eventually arrive the next morning on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean. Cargo companies also take advantage of night flying as they quickly fly packages to sorting facilities that will deliver the next morning.
But is flying at night safe? As a short answer, yes flying in the dark at night is inherently safe as perfect safety cannot be achieved. That being said, pilots are trained for flying in the dark and use many of the same tools and instruments utilized during daytime operations. With the high level of training required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air travel continues to be one of the safest modes of transportation, even in the dark.
In this article, we’re going to look closer at some of the tools and instruments that pilots use to fly safely into the night. We’ll also look closer at if pilots actually prefer flying at night, how they manage sleep during long-haul flights, and whether it’s safe to fly over oceans!
Table of Contents
How Pilots Fly at Night: Tools and Instruments used by pilots
Pilots have many tools at their disposal to be able to fly in a safe and efficient manner, even at night. Some of these tools include onboard weather radar systems, glide slope lights, and Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) that keep track of the airplane’s proximity to the ground.
Let’s have a closer look at some of the tools and instruments used by pilots!
Taxiing: Using taxiway lights
After an aircraft pushes back from the gate and begins to taxi, the pilots are able to identify their position on the airport by various colored lights and signs. Taxiway lights are green in the center and blue on the edge. These lights help guide the pilots safely from the taxiway to the runway.
The runway is lit with both white and red lights which indicate to the pilot how much runway is remaining for takeoff and landing.
Weather and Terrain: Radar and terrain warning systems
On nights where the moon does not illuminate terrain and weather systems, pilots must utilize their onboard radar and terrain warning systems to navigate safely from airport to airport. These systems are used as well during daytime operations when pilots fly through clouds and are unable to see what is ahead of their flight path.
The Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) is designed to notify flight crew when the aircraft is in close proximity to the ground or an obstacle. When activated, the GPWS system triggers lights and sirens to notify the crew that a climb is required to remain clear of what lies below.
Aircraft can also be equipped with Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). This system notifies pilots when they are too close to another aircraft. When activated, the system will tell both aircraft to climb or descend in opposite directions in order to increase the separation between the two planes.
For weather detection and avoidance, aircraft can be equipped with an on board weather radar. While some aircraft are equipped with a radome that displays real time precipitation returns, recent models have been built to include Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) weather that allows for a better picture of weather that is not directly in front of the airplane. This tool also allows the pilot to track the aircraft movement in relation to the movement of the storm cell.
Takeoff and landing (Navigation guidance systems, ILS/GPS)
During takeoff and landing at night, pilots are able to utilize additional navigation to help guide them from the sky to the runway. During landing, both the autopilot and pilot have the capability to fly an approach to land at an airport. With systems such as Instrument Landing System (ILS) or Global Positioning System (GPS) available for use, aircraft can track these courses.
Though these systems can be used during the day, they are vital to night time operations to ensure the airplane is on the right path to landing when normal day time visual references are not available.
When aircraft do not utilize the navigation systems listed above, pilots can utilize approach and glide-slope lights known as Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) and Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI). These lights let the pilots know if they are at the right height above the ground before landing on the runway, and can be seen on approach. The image below shows the four lights which are part of the PAPI.
Pilots can assess the appropriate glide slope by watching the ratio between white and red lights, which is dependent on the angle of approach to the runway.
Below is an image showing the light configurations for PAPI and VASI depending on the angle of approach.
Most medical evacuation, as well as military and law enforcement helicopters that land at airport locations, utilize Night Vision Goggles (NVGs). Affixed to a helmet, the goggles are an expensive piece of equipment amplifying the existing ambient light coming from the moon and the stars. The picture viewed through the goggles will be either in black and white or black and green depending on the type.
Is Flying Over the Ocean at Night Safe?
Yes, aircraft will fly identical routes overseas during night and day operations. All Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards (ETOPS) equipped airplanes are required to remain within 60 minutes of a suitable airport where the plane can land at if an intermittent stop is needed.
Other Factors of Flying at Night
Here are some more aspects of night flying that might be interesting to know!
Is there less turbulence at night?
Usually yes, after the sun sets and the earth’s surface begins cooling for the night the air becomes more stable.
Planes can still encounter turbulence at night at higher altitudes when passing through jet stream as rapid changes in wind can cause the air to become unstable. Areas around thunderstorms can also cause turbulence in flight but thankfully are less common at night due to the lower temperatures and more stable air.
Pilot Rest: Do Pilots Sleep During Flight?
Even though night flights above a certain duration are commonly referred to as “red-eye” flights because of the potential lack of sleep, pilots are thankfully accustomed to non standard working cycles and can plan in advance when operating aircraft in the dark. Pilots are familiar and trained to adapt their circadian cycle which is the body’s natural rhythm punctuated by rest and active periods mostly dictated by the sun’s daily journey from sunrise to sundown.
Each time pilots fly at night, they are required to have a rest period after landing before they fly at night again. This allows the pilots to sleep during the day and work during the night. For longer international night flights, additional pilots are used to allow each crew to rest during the long journey. Some airplanes even have special beds built into the ceiling or cargo hold that give the pilots a quiet place to rest while on break. The image above shows such a bed.
Do pilots prefer flying at night?
Sometimes! Each pilot has different likes and dislikes and flying at night comes with benefits that daytime flying does not. Night flying is usually much less hectic as the busy skies have reduced traffic for the night. The reduction in traffic, generally better weather and less turbulent ride reduce pilot workload which some pilots desire. Some pilots prefer to keep the same sleep schedule at work as they do at home with their families and prefer to fly during the day.
Though each pilot is different, all flight crew members get the benefit of seeing nighttime phenomenon such as the Milky Way or Northern Lights on clear nights.
Summary
With the many safety measures, like ETOPS, put in place by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in combination with the strict rest and training rules for pilots, flying in the dark has been proven to be an inherently safe means of transportation for both passengers and cargo. On top of safe travel you may also benefit from less turbulent rides and shorter flights, due too less traffic congestion.
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