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Night flight over the Alps in a SEP

The other day I landed on Mali Losinj LDLO, about 45 mins before they closed at 1800UTC and already close to sunset time. This is a pic from left base

On the ground, several SEPs were departing to various places, and looking at the regs mostly very likely N of the Alps.

They weren’t BRS equipped as far as I could see.

I thought it is an interesting bit of risk management to do night flight over the Alps in a SEP

No other obvious reason. Next day’s wx was excellent, and plenty of accommodation on Losinj.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

They could have gone anywhere. Maybe Losinj was just a stop on a bigger tour to the European south.

Anyway, night flying in SEPs is comparatively risky either way. Whether you have some rocky mountains below or just some hilly terrain/water/cities/swamp/vinyards does likely not make much of a difference.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Peter wrote:

I thought it is an interesting bit of risk management to do night flight over the Alps in a SEP

Maybe it was too windy, too cloudy, too hot or very convective during the day and decided to fly it later ?

In Alps there are some nice places to land on, so some daylight may help but there are other risks than just engine quitting…
In Pyrenees, you are 100% betting on the engine (highly unlikely you will walk away, except with a jump between trees)

What is problematic is getting rescued (if still alive), that I agree night in mountains or oceans is a bad setup, even with BRS !

Last Edited by Ibra at 16 Sep 14:22
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

They could have gone anywhere

Not many places open after 1800 UTC. Basically Dubrovnik, and at €200+ few would have gone there.

Whether you have some rocky mountains below or just some hilly terrain/water/cities/swamp/vinyards does likely not make much of a difference.

I think it does, because in darkness in mountains you are going to glide straight into a rockface – unless amazingly lucky.

Maybe it was too windy, too cloudy, too hot or very convective during the day and decided to fly it later

It was very smooth.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

On FR24, playbacks are available. A few austrian planes seem to fly back to Austria that evening (Sept 12).
Being a night flying fan, I am not shocked.

LFOU, France

Jujupilote wrote:

On FR24, playbacks are available.

The only 2 movements I saw around Peters arrival was a BE58 Baron to Klagenfurt and a DA40 to Bratislava. While the DA 40 NG is definitly a SEP and has been in the news recently for engine problems, it is not exactly flying over the Alps but after the coastal mountains flying over rather flat terrain to BTS.

I would not be a fan doing any of this in a SEP but then again, flying IFR is the same problem if you don’t have a great ceiling. If the donkey quits you better have a good moving map and if possible a PFD with virtual terrain. Or of course a Shute.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

There was a number of non-txp planes; I heard them say it to Pula ATC. Not everyone would be on FR24. Some ULs, which surprised me even more.

I am fine with people doing what they want but it seems a strange approach to risk management, when the next day you would have a perfect flight in CAVOK conditions. It was a Sunday though so perhaps they had to be at work?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

The ULs have BRS at least ;-) No NVFR allowed in ULs (in Germany).

EDLE

No NVFR allowed in ULs

Now, that is doubly amusing How many Rotax powered planes are night VFR legal?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

How many Rotax powered planes are night VFR legal?

Some are. Also this one. I’m sure there are more.

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden
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