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When I earned my Private license, specific training in night flying was required if the new pilot planned to fly at night. Otherwise, the license was endorsed as “Night Flying Prohibited.“ I wanted the license without restrictions, as well as the flexibility of flying after sunset so I arranged for the necessary training flights. One particular night flight became an experience I have never forgotten.
The plan was to fly from the Cuyahoga County Airport (GCF) in Richmond Heights to Erie, Pennsylvania (ERI) and return. This would involve 100-mile legs each way and satisfy one of the experience requirements.
I met my CFI at 10pm on a very dark night. The visibility looked fine on the ground, but clouds were predicted sporadically along our route. The instructor filed an instrument flight plan, explaining that the situation would present a challenge, and vividly demonstrate to me why I didn’t dare attempt such a flight without an instrument rating.
We completed the preflight and then launched for Erie. Reaching our cruising altitude, I judged the concern about clouds and impaired visibility to be greatly exaggerated. I was about to get a real flying lesson.
Reaching our cruising altitude, I judged the concern about clouds and impaired visibility to be greatly exaggerated.
Ground lights were plainly visible, as was traffic on I-90 heading straight for Erie. I settled in for an uneventful flight, but suddenly I found myself in complete and impenetrable darkness. I stiffened on the controls. The CFI quietly asked if I knew what had happened. I replied that we must have flown into a cloud.
He said, “That’s right, watch your instruments. We’ll be out of this in a second. “ He was right. Good visibility returned.
The second time a cloud blocked our path the incident was far less unnerving, but my learning experience was about to become more vivid.
We were monitoring the tower frequency at Erie, and we could hear a disturbing dialogue. A pilot was lost in the dark, in and out of the clouds. His voice sounded on the verge of panic. The controller calmed him, vectoring him out of the clouds and on to a heading for the airport. Soon his anxiety changed to immense relief as he found himself rolling out on short final at his home airport.
Shortly afterward, we followed suit, making a touch and go at Erie before climbing out and turning west for home, but the flight had one more challenge in store.
We made a touch and go at Erie before climbing out and turning west for home, but the flight had one more challenge in store.
As we neared Cleveland, the scattered clouds grew denser, obstructing our view of the ground. The instructor had me radio Cleveland-Hopkins (CLE) and explain our predicament. Controllers there assigned a transponder code. We were given a heading to CGF and told we would emerge from the clouds in three minutes with the airport directly in front of us.
Right on schedule, the airport appeared. We proceeded to land and secure the aircraft. I saw, or should say heard, ATC save the day twice in as many hours that night.
After a brief discussion I got in my car and headed home as a much wiser pilot than the one who had taken off for Erie several hours earlier.
- A Night Flying Experience I’ll Never Forget - January 20, 2025
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- Aviation is the universal language - September 29, 2023
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