Some Reminders on Night Flying

I would add regular checks of the 'nearest airport' page on your GPS navigator. On mine, the page presents information on bearing as well as distance, so I'll know which way to turn immediately in case of a sudden silence in the pointy end of my airplane. A quick scroll and a touch of the 'go to' button, and I can follow the magical magenta line to the promised landing. John makes regular checks of each airport's runway configuration, elevation, tower or unicom frequency and the frequency for turning on the lights (usually the unicom frequency, but not always). All that information may be only a couple of key pushes away in an emergency, but it wouldn't hurt to toggle through the screens as you motor along through the dark of night.

John also advises choosing a cruising altitude that maximizes your chances of gliding to an airport at any time. While that might not be possible for 100 percent of the trip, I certainly prefer flying higher rather than lower, when given the choice. With my little two-seat Grumman, I rarely flew higher than 6,000 feet. But with my Bonanza, I have the added comfort of flying much higher, which certainly extends the list of options should the V-tail unexpectedly morph into a glider.

Flying at night will always be riskier -- for a number of other reasons unrelated to engine failure. But knowing there is a welcoming runway within coasting distance removes a nagging source of stress from the back of the pilot's mind.