Moonlight over Normandy

[Corsaire31 419]

A short IFR AH cargo flight tonight with Aurigny Xpress BN2B Islander - From Guernsey EGJB to Deauville St Gratien LFRG

 

[mutley 4,498]

Guernsey to Deauville, nice flight, are you going to the races in Deauville?!

 

[Corsaire31 419]

I was carrying 800 lbs of luggage, probably for people going to the races...

I need to make some flights to rise the company's reputation, it's been mostly run by AI pilots during the last months while I was flying across Africa and South America...   And I was missing these night flights !

[brett 2,315]

Nice shot,  nighttime with nothing but the soft glow of the panel lights and the drone of the engine is making me sleepy zzzzzzzzz.

[Corsaire31 419]

I usually make short ones around an hour or so...  Flying IFR with autopilot I always listen to the radio at the same time (often following some soccer game...) and from time to time the ATC asks you for a frequency change when you switch control zones, or asks you to confirm you have another plane in visual. But I agree the fun part is the approach for landing in the traffic... (I use Ultimate Traffic 2 set at 80%)  

 

Tonight flying from Deauville to Southampton EGHI I had to make a missed approach procedure as the bloody Piper in front of me wasn't fast enough clearing the runway while I was in finals !  Makes some action at night, and added almost a half hour to my flight, going around and asking for a new ILS approach right behind an Easyjet flight !

[brett 2,315]

It probably wasn't my Piper.

 

Good advice, always keep oneself busy when flying. I will admit falling asleep once, ended up crashing into a mountain face.

[Corsaire31 419]

I also have a big coffee maker in a corner of the desk... 

[brett 2,315]

Ummm, coffee. Your making me long for something I am not allowed to have anymore.

 

That crash happened late at night after flying all day. The smart thing to do was to make a save and go to bed. Lets just say I didn't go to bed instead of the obvious.

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

Still not confident enough to rely on ILS landings at night...unless it is VFR conditions at night, I stay grounded. I'll set up a flight plan in FSX and stick to it at night, but on landing I VFR my way to the field's lights (and on the odd occasion I have mistakenly sent myself to an unlighted field at night, occasionaly a full moon saves the da...night, or if I seriously can't see my way down I divert to somewhere lighted and wait till the following day to finish it. If it is a time sensitive cargo in Airhauler, then I cheat it and start a new flight at "dusk" to get the cargo to it's destination on time in a lighting condition I can land it.

 

I have also, Brett, started using the Pause at 15 miles from destination late at night...i too have been known to fall asleep or at least get very dopey late at night (beer helps im sure) and the sudden pause will jolt me back into 'landing' mode.

 

Cheers.

[Corsaire31 419]

No problem with ILS Matt, the ATC takes you at the right altitude almost aligned with the ILS, you only need to trust the instruments ...  good also to have the right pressure set on your altimeter so you can keep an eye on it.     With the Islander I use the autopilot up to 1 or 2 nms from the runway and only grab the yoke to set the flaps to landing position and touchdown.