Of all the senses, vision is the most important for safe flying. When flying in conditions with limited visibility as in nighttime operations, pilots can fall victim to optical illusions that compromise their safety. Understanding how to identify the different types of nighttime illusions can help pilots avoid potential accidents when flying at night. Ground lighting illusions. Bright runway and approach lights may make the runway appear closer, resulting in a higher approach. Areas with few lights on the ground may lead to a lower approach. Would you fly in to West Virginia’s Elkins-Randolph County Airport at night? If the terrain depicted on the sectional chart doesn’t give you pause, the remarks in the chart supplement should: “Rwy 14–32 CLOSED dusk–dawn.” There’s no prohibition against landing on Runway 5/23, but factors such as terrain, lighting, obstructions, runway length available, and your familiarity with the area should influence your decision whether to stay away. Many pilots minimize risk with personal minimums that they won’t fly in mountainous terrain at night. —SD Night landing illusions

Possible physical reactions include nausea, dizziness, grogginess, unconsciousness, headaches, or confusion An absence of surrounding ground features, such as overwater approach, darkened area, or terrain made featureless by snow, can create an illusion the aircraft is at a higher altitude than it is This action creates the illusion of being in a nose-up attitude, especially in situations without good visual references As in other illusions, a pilot in a prolonged coordinated, constant rate turn will have the illusion of not turning [ Figure 2]

By now, you already know the solution: trust your instruments. Faith in your instruments will help you break through just about any night flying illusion so you can enjoy the beauty and peace of a quiet and safe night flight. Availability of visual approach slope indicator system ( VASIS) or precision approach path indicator ( PAPI)." Ernest Hemingway said it a lot better: “The things of the night cannot be explained in the day, because they do not then exist.” Night flying is really IFR flying and we need to use all of our IFR skills to assure safety during nighttime ops. The sensations that lead to illusions during instrument flight conditions are normal perceptions experienced by pilots

Geometric patterns of ground light can create illusions of not being aligned correctly with the actual horizon Night flight is an entirely new way to experience the joy of flying. But like anything, night flying comes with its share of challenges and risks. Consult airport diagrams and the Chart Supplement U.S. for information on runway slope, terrain, and lightingIt's a lot more likely the kid just hasn't been conditioned to fear death yet, to speak about it in hushed tones — if at all. This might be the same kind of kid who finds out his grandma has died and says, casually, "Oh, OK. Bye, grandma! See you soon!" Rose Lynn's post: "So today I was sent home from class, after being in school for two hours, for my outfit. Because I'm developed farther than the average girl my age, I am required to go home and change... Because I look like a CURVY woman and may distract young boys, I have to miss class and change my outfit. Join our community for exclusive benefits: Access pilot information, participate in sweepstakes, enjoy legal & medical services, discounts, and enhance your aviation journey! Another significant night visual approach risk stems from the way we interpret visual cues. Consider the runway light illustrations below: If navigation aids (NAVAIDs) are unavailable, pilots should pay careful attention to using the flight instruments to assist in maintaining orientation and a normal approach