Accredited Activity Information

1.  WINGS NIGHT OPERATIONS FLIGHT ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION:

Night flight is exhilarating – provided you prepare for it.  Every aspect of flying at night is different from the clear light of day. Your best defense, and the best strategy, is to combine skill and judgment with an in-depth knowledge of night flying. Each step in the process of a night flight requires special knowledge and close attention to detail. This and other WINGS Flight Activities will reinforce in the airman a strong foundation in airmanship, proficiency, flight discipline and risk management.

In this WINGS Activity the airman and instructor will discuss, and the airman will demonstrate takeoffs, departure climbs; traffic pattern procedures, night navigation, approach descents and landings, emergency operations, and go-arounds under normal conditions.  A thorough knowledge of airport and seaplane base operations; takeoffs, night navigation procedures, approaches, landings, emergency operations and go-around principles, both in theory and practice, is of extreme value throughout a pilot’s career.

The flight must include flight instructor selected tasks from Private Pilot Airman Certification Standard (ACS) listed in the WINGS Night Operations Flight Activity Worksheet in the topic(s) determined to be the primary accident causal factor for a particular category and class of aircraft.  While Night Operations is the primary Areas of Operation, other Areas of Operations such as Preflight Preparations, Airport Operations, etc., are also a significant part of this Activity.

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2. WINGS NIGHT OPERATIONS FLIGHT ACTIVITY TRAINING PROVIDER INFORMATION:

Insert the following information into your WINGS Flight Activity:

Organization Information:

• Name:__________________________________________________

• Contact Information:_______________________________________

• Office Location:___________________________________________

• Office Hours:_____________________________________________

Department: 

• Name:___________________________________________________

• Contact Information:________________________________________

• Office Location:____________________________________________

• Office Hours:______________________________________________

WINGS Knowledge Activity Title:____________________________________

WINGS Knowledge Activity Course Number: __________________________

WINGS Knowledge Activity Credits: _________________________________

Meeting Days, Times, Location:_____________________________________

Instructor Information:

• Name:___________________________________________________

• Contact Information:________________________________________

• Office Location:____________________________________________

• Office Hours:______________________________________________

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3.  WINGS NIGHT OPERATIONS FLIGHT ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES:

The objective of this WINGS Flight activity is to introduce, develop, review, or improve the airman’s knowledge, airmanship, crew resource management, risk management, flight discipline in understanding the major aspects and elements of night flying to the pilot.  The emphasis is on improving aeronautical decision making and using knowledge, risk management, and skills associated with night operations in preparing for safe flight and maintaining positive aircraft control during night operations accounting for pilot, aircraft, environment, and external factors.  The elements for night operations are found in Section 5, the list is not all inclusive.  

The mechanical operation of an airplane at night is no different than operating the same airplane during the day. The airplane does not know if it is being operated in the dark or bright sunlight. It performs and responds to control inputs by the pilot. The pilot, however, is affected by various aspects of night operations and must take them into consideration during night flight operations. Some are actual physical limitations affecting all pilots while others, such as equipment requirements, procedures, and emergency situations, must also be considered.  

Night flying requires that pilots are aware of, and operate within, their abilities and limitations. Although careful planning of any flight is essential, night flying demands more attention to the details of preflight preparation and planning.   This WINGS Night Operations Flight Activity assesses proficiency and improves the knowledge and skills to operate at night.  The flight tasks will occur after Civil Twilight with a current and qualified CFI.  Knowledge topics will be complete prior to the flight activities. 

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4.  WINGS NIGHT OPERATIONS FLIGHT ACTIVITY ELEMENTS: 

An element contains the knowledge or skill which must be mastered for the successful completion of a given task / maneuver.  It is a basic building block of performance and rarely can a pilot in training progress satisfactorily without this critical elemental skill.

The instructor must be thorough in the pilot in training evaluation and in checking their pilot in training on their understanding, application and mastery of the elements.  The pilot in training must also do the same to their own self-evaluation.  Progressive lessons include elements previously learned and elements to be introduced during this lesson.

The following is a representative list of night operations elements (not all-inclusive) to be include in this WINGS Flight Activity:

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5.  WINGS NIGHT OPERATIONS FLIGHT ACTIVITY PREREQUISITES: 

Prerequisites are core pilot skill sets or competencies that must be mastered before advancing to a lesson that requires that foundational pilot knowledge.  It is critical that the pilot in training has demonstrated a good foundation in day VFR elements as evaluated by the instructor and the pilot in training.  Continuing into a lesson in which the pilot in training has not met the prerequisite can be a setup for failure.

It is recommended that the pilot in training have completed the following:

1. FAA Knowledge Test
2. Solo Cross-country flights
3. at least two hours simulated instrument flight time, which includes the following instrument flight maneuvers, before they undertake night flight training:

• Straight and level flight – maintain coordinated heading and altitude control to the ACS or PTS required accuracy.
• Medium and rate one turns – at least coordinated 180 degrees turns left and right to the ACS or PTS required accuracy.
• Climbing and descending – to preselected altitudes. Level flight to be re-established at the preselected altitude to the ACS or PTS required accuracy.
• Unusual attitude – prompt and correct recovery from unusual attitudes.
• Emergency and Abnormal Operations

The following is a representative list of day VFR operations elements (not all-inclusive) that should be satisfactorily demonstrated prior to night flight introduction in this WINGS Flight Activity:

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6.  WINGS NIGHT OPERATIONS FLIGHT ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

For WINGS - Pilot Proficiency Program credit, all pilot activities utilizing this WINGS Flight Syllabus Development document must be appropriate to the individual’s pilot certificate category, class and rating. 

Instructor Responsibilities

The flight instructor is responsible for:

• Training the pilot in training to meet the established standards for knowledge, risk management, and skill elements in all Tasks appropriate to the pilot certificate and rating sought. The instructor must use the ACS or PTS and its references as part of preparing or retraining the applicant to proficiency.

• Determining that the pilot in training meets the established standards of aeronautical knowledge, skills (flight proficiency), and risk management in all Area of Operation Tasks listed in this Syllabus.

• Developing or using an  a Scenario based Lesson Plan (LP) or Plan of Action (POA), written in English, to conduct this WINGS  Flight Activity, and it must include all of the training provider /  flight instructor selected  Areas of Operation and Tasks. The LP/POA must include a scenario that covers as many of the selected Areas of Operation and Tasks as possible. The LP/POA will be briefed before the flight during the Preflight Preparation.

Pilot in Training Responsibilities

The pilot in training is responsible for:

• Mastering the established standards for knowledge, risk management, and skill elements in all Tasks appropriate to the certificate and rating sought.  

• Demonstrating the Tasks specified in the Areas of Operation for the certificate or rating within the established  ACS /  PTS standards;

• Demonstrating mastery of the aircraft by performing each Task within the ACS  / PTS established standards;

• Demonstrating proficiency and competency in accordance with the ACS / PTS established standards;

• Demonstrating sound judgment and exercise aeronautical decision-making/risk management; and

• Demonstrating competence in single-pilot crew resource management in an aircraft that is certificated for single-pilot operations, or competence in crew resource management in aircraft certificated for more than one required pilot crewmember.

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7.  WINGS NIGHT OPERATIONS FLIGHT ACTIVITY INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION / PREPARATION:

The pilot in training is just beginning to learn how to prepare for, present, and perform an effective scenario based night operations flight activity.  The pilot in training has not received any scenario-based instruction for night operations and for that reason may need additional instructor assistance.

The instructor and the pilot in training will develop a lesson plan that incorporates the selected scenario, and conduct the flight in accordance with that plan. The instructor must review this lesson plan and scenario based training with the pilot in training during the preflight briefing and make any suggestions for improvement at that time.

At the airplane, the instructor will demonstrate and discuss proper preflight procedures for the training airplane.  The plan is to have the pilot in training perform the preflight with the instructor analyzing the pilot in training performance before departure from the destination airport for the return leg.

During the outbound leg of the scenario, the pilot in training will be flying the airplane as much as practical during which the instructor will be demonstrating to the pilot in training the maneuvers and procedures discussed in the preflight briefing and scenario, after which the pilot in training will have time to practice them. At all-times during the flight, the instructor will be analyzing and evaluating the pilot in training’s performance and offering proper corrective instruction.

During the break between the two legs, the instructor and the pilot in training can review the pilot in training demonstrations of the basic maneuvers. Before departure for the return to the originating airport, the pilot in training should give the instructor a preflight briefing about what the pilot in training will be expected to do during that portion of the flight.

The pilot in training will fly as much of the second leg as possible.  The pilot in training will explain the maneuvers being performed as well as some basic and common errors associated with their performance.  The instructor will be evaluating the pilot in training to determine if they can recognize and correct them. 

Be sure to discuss the risk elements involved with the flight as well as how the pilot in training can mitigate those risks. This is especially critical when conducting takeoff and landing.

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8.  WINGS NIGHT OPERATIONS FLIGHT ACTIVITY SCENARIO:

Scenario:

The pilot in training is flying their first flight night operations flight with their flight instructor. The instructor wants to give the pilot in training a realistic idea of what night operations flying is all about. The pilot in training the flight instructor will plan a short night cross- country during which the pilot in training will be introduced to the fundamentals of night operations, night cross country flight, the four basic maneuvers of all flight, as well as introducing the pilot in training to night takeoffs, landings, traffic patterns and collision avoidance. The pilot in training will plan to stop at another airport before returning to your original departure airport.

Lesson Objectives:

The purpose of this lesson is for the Pilot in training to learn to effectively plan, execute, perform and analyze the listed night preflight operations, basic maneuvers, normal takeoffs and landings, cross-country, collision avoidance and traffic pattern procedures.

Pre-Briefing:

The pilot in training and instructor will review the desired outcomes, discuss the scenario for the flight, and discuss the key elements of each maneuver and procedure to be flown. The pilot in training under the direction of the instructor, will develop a maneuver lesson that describes and utilizes the scenario prescribed for this lesson.

The pilot in training and instructor will discuss the risks associated with learning how to fly night operations - basic maneuvers and while in the traffic pattern doing takeoffs and landings.

This Pre-Briefing between the pilot in training and instructor must take place that covers the type of aircraft used for this flight activity to include, but not limited to, aircraft performance expectations using the manufacturer’s recommended procedures, including airplane configuration and airspeeds, emergency procedures, operating limitations and other information relevant to takeoffs, landings, emergency operations, go-arounds, cross-country flight planning and operations, and night operations using the FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual and/or Pilot’s Operating Handbook (AFM/POH) for that aircraft.  The pilot in training must understand the recommended operating procedures, performance capabilities and approved limitations of the aircraft being used for the flight activity.   An excellent source of information for this WINGS flight activity is the Airplane Flying Handbook, specifically chapter 10:  Night Operations.  This should be the first required reading before starting night training.  The Instructor will have additional sources of information that will aid in training.

Completion Standards:

This WINGS Flight Activity will be complete when the pilot in training can perform and analyze each maneuver to the level shown on the desired outcome grade sheet and within the tolerances specified by the appropriate ACS or PTS standards.

The following FAASTeam Grade Sheet is recommended for use during this WINGS Night Operations Flight Activity:

WINGS DESIRED OUTCOME GRADE SHEET

WINGS FLIGHT ACTIVITY A211209-01 LESSON PLAN WORKSHET

PP-ASEL-NIGHT OPERATIONS LESSON PLAN

De-Briefing:

The debriefing will be led by the pilot in training, with instructor coaching, using the Learner-Centered Grading method. The pilot in training will critique their performance and then the instructor will critique the pilot in training's performance using the Desired Outcomes Grading sheet as a guide. The instructor and pilot in training will discuss any discrepancies in their respective evaluations.  The flight instructor will then make recommendations for further training as required, and validate the WINGS Flight Activity upon satisfactory completion.

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9.  WINGS NIGHT OPERATIONS FLIGHT ACTIVITY STANDARDS: 

While this WINGS Flight Activity targets specifically the NIGHT OPERATIONS Area of Operation as described in the Private Pilot ACS, the Airman should satisfactorily demonstrate all pertinent parts of the ACS in their Preflight, Flight, and Post Flight activities consistent with their certificate or rating.

FOR WINGS CREDIT: The airman will satisfactorily demonstrate the maneuvers and procedures in the tasks selected by the flight instructor in the applicable ACS Area of Operation for the pilot certificate, Category and Class in which the airman is rated.  Successful completion of this WINGS Activity will ensure the airman possesses the knowledge, ability to manage risks, and skills consistent for the privileges of the certificate, Category and Class or rating being exercised in order to act as Pilot-in- command (PIC). 

10.  GENERIC STATEMENT ON THE USE OF FLIGHT SIMULATOR TRAINING DEVICES

The WINGS – Pilot Proficiency Program is designed to assist pilots in maintaining, improving and/or refreshing their proficiency in appropriate categories and classes of aircraft, and in their knowledge of aviation subject matter and best practices. Any WINGS activity that has instrument maneuvers contained within it, or is exclusively instrument flight maneuvers, those instrument maneuvers can be performed in an FAA Approved and appropriately rated Aviation Training Device (ATD) or Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD), which means you must check the Letter of Authorization (LOA) for appropriate authorizations and time credits.  Remember, the ATD / FSTD LOA is controlling, up to the time limits specified in the applicable Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR). 

For additional information on ATD/FSTD use, select this link: 

Use of Aviation Training Device (ATC) or Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD)

for FAA pilot time credits

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End of Document

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