July 2, 2012 was the last time I had done any night flying. As December dawned, I really wanted to get current and proficient to take my family up to see the Christmas lights at night from the air. Since it had been awhile, I asked my CFI Jerry to go up with me. My primary concern was to get confident with night landings. I remembered that the runway comes up very fast at night, and I wanted a little coaching.
Jerry had just finished 2.2 hours of dual night cross country, so he went to take a break while I preflighted 69R. When I finished, we climbed in and got started. I did five landings. Each got a little better than the last. I had a tendency to round out a little late. I didn't bang the nose, but the first ones were a little hard. I need to anticipate better when to round out and then be patient as the plane settles down.
I did take a few minutes to fly over Lexington and see the lights. Night flying is so beautiful, and it is a privlege to see what few people get to see at 1500 feet agl. I am looking forward to going back up with my family.
We finished the night with a practice ILS approach into Runway 6. I am beginning to do the book study for my instrument rating, so I wanted to begin to get acquainted with what will actually be required in the cockpit. It was challenging and fun. I am looking forward to my training.
