Blackout flying

Blackout flying

www.aopa.org

Military nighttime operations and the GA pilot
Blackout dates are an annoyance to commercial air travelers. Now a new and different kind of blackout could become a problem for general aviation pilots. It's the military's "Lights Out" training happening in select military operations areas (MOAs), allowing high-speed military aircraft to fly at night without lights.
That's right, high-speed military aircraft operating in the dark of night, without lights. Legally. And this, just as you were teaching your students that they have every right to fly in MOAs, even when they're hot.
The mi

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Hello there, ATS
I did a google search to find some answers for something I saw a few nights ago. I think it's interesting stuff. I did a search on the ATS and I did not see any threads on this stuff, so I wanted to share with you all. Here's the experience which lead me to find this article. I was in my backyard having a cigarette and I heard a plane. The moon was full and there were some clouds in the sky. The moonlight was strong and I saw two planes. One was normal. The other I saw only because of it's outling as it flew between the moon and me. I saw a normal plane which looked to be escorting a massive jet. This massive jet had no lights on and I was like wtf? So i did a search and found the info which I have posted.

www.aopa.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

When I worked in at an airport in GA we had C130s doing this type of thing all the time. They practice touch and goes without lights.

They have to get their practice some how.

impressive. I just looked up a c 130 . I have friends that fly but I know hardly anything about planes. I know that they are awesome. So yeah I had to look it up , but that's what I saw. A c 130. One was amazing enough and it sounds like you've clearly seen this more than once. Cool. I imagine the pilots do indeed get a unique form of practive this way to say the least.

reply to post by dragonsmusic


Its a pretty cool site to see.

At night the ramp of an airport is poorly lit. When they practice black out landings you don't really see them until they are about 50 feet off the runway. Then when they take off again they disappear into the night.

I believe that I did relate the experience somewhere else on ATS before, but roughly four years ago I witnessed a lights-out CAP flying directly overhead, at roughly 1000-2000 FT AGL. It was an absolutely awesome experience, and it was definitely up there with some of the most amazing Aircraft viewings I have ever partaken in. I had perfect timing to thank for the experience as well:

I had JUST arrived at my residence, and I parked the car at the curb in front of my house (Not in the driveway). Well, fortunately for me the moment I stepped out of the car, I heard two Fighter Jets on approach engaging their Afterburners. Luckily the location where I parked the car allowed me an unimpeded view of their approach from the SW, and as soon as they reached the Airspace over my neighborhood they pulled back to MIL Power. I was watching them as the Lead finally cut his lights, while his Wingman kept his NAVs on, but cut his strobes. I could just make out the outline of the Lead enough to follow him overhead, when both Jets cut their lights. Then, as soon as they passed overhead, the Lead re-engaged his Lights, both NAV and Strobe, the Wingman did the same, and they hit their Afterburners again bugging out to the ENE.

I live within five miles of a Major International Airport, and within 20 of Another, and I am within the Capital Area RAS, so basically whenever we have any MIL Overflights involving CAPs, you know that they have a very good reason for currently being airborne. Sometimes the NORAD exercises buzz by certain locations, and you can feel the entire building rumble. It is quite the amazing experience (Reminds me of a C-130 I once had fly low overhead on Approach to Oceana, while I was on the pier at NSN. The thing felt like an approaching Earthquake, but it was "Oh So Cooool"!).