Night time requires extra vigilance on the ground. Even with the taxiway and runway lights, it is just harder to see. With no wind component, Jerry said to pick the runway that gives you the best option for landing if the engine quits! This is my biggest anxiety about flying at night. Tonight....it was not an issue.
All of my landings were to a full stop. Two of them were done without the landing light. It is important that I can do that in case the landing light burns out. The other six were with landing lights...one from a simulated emergency with the throttle at idle.
It is harder to judge the height above the runway in the dark. On one landing, the runway came up fast enough that I almost touched down first with the nose wheel. One book I read said to start the roundout when you can see the wheel marks on the pavement. This is a pretty good suggestion, and it seemed to work o.k. Overall, it was challenging, and I look forward to practicing some more night landings.
Flying at night is beautiful. The lights of the city twinkle in the distance, the stars seem just a bit closer, and it is just cool!
