Definition
Operating an aircraft during the period between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, when reduced visual cues, limited depth perception, and altered visual references change how a pilot perceives the aircraft's attitude, position, and surroundings.
Plain English
Flying after dark. Because the eye works differently at night and there is far less to see outside the aircraft, the pilot has to rely much more on the instruments and on what light is available.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of instrument flying experience, because flying at night can make outside visual cues weaker and instrument use more important.
Why Pilots Care
Night operations demand extra equipment like position lights and anti-collision lights plus recent night takeoff and landing experience to remain legal and safe.
Grounding Statement
At night, the airplane may be flying normally, but the pilot may not be able to see enough outside to judge attitude and direction by sight alone.
Intuition Check
Night flying does not simply mean the same daytime flying with less light. In aviation, darkness can remove important visual cues, so instrument use and planning become much more important.
Example Sentence 1
Before her long cross-country, she logged several hours of night flying with an instructor to get comfortable with reading the instruments and judging runway lighting.
Example Sentence 2
Instrument training often includes night flying to practice instrument approaches with reduced visual references.