Training
Night Rating
At night, the thermals of the day which cause many an unwanted bump are gone, and the evening sky is often replaced with the smooth still air which all aviators dream of. Day trips to Europe or the Channel Islands are no longer cut short by fading light, and the view out of the window takes on a whole new magical appearance. For any Private Pilot, completing a night rating will give you greater flexibility, but if you are intending to become a commercial pilot, it is an essential part of your training.
Pre course requirements:
- No minimum hours requirement – this course can be carried out as part of your PPL but the 5 hours are not included in the 45 hours minimum. Most students complete this training shortly after passing their PPL
- Hold a Class 1 or 2 medical certificate
What does the training involve?
- Minimum of 5 hours of flying time, of which at least 3 hours are completed with an instructor
- 1-hour of cross-country navigation, including a dual cross-country of at least 50km
- 5 solo take-offs and landings
Flying Training
The first two hours of your training will consist of general handing and local area navigation to get you used to flying at night. The ‘picture’ remains the same, but some key sensory inputs are missing when flying at night, so these need to be explained and compensated for. At Freedom, we often take students around London to experience the busy airspace, radio work, and the stunning views of central London’s famous landmarks.
After getting to grips with night flying, the next two hours of training are spent flying circuits in the dark and learning to maintain the correct approach gradient. Once that is all mastered, your instructor will start turning things off, and that’s when the fun begins! How well do you think you can land with no landing light? Or no internal lights? Once that is all sorted (it’s not difficult – honest) you’re released for an hour of solo circuits to complete your 5 take offs and landings. There is no formal test or check at the end of the training.
Freedom Aviation offer Night Ratings either at Cotswold Airport (Kemble), Gloucestershire Airport (Staverton), or London Oxford Airport (Kidlington, Oxford). The Night Rating package includes the hire of the aircraft (Piper Warrior) with fuel, instruction, landings, and touch and go’s. If you require more than 5 hours training this will be charged at the usual hourly rate.