By Robert N. Rossier, EAA 472091
This piece originally ran in Robert’s Stick and Rudder column in the July 2023 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
On a recent night flight, I couldn’t help but wonder at the splendor of the night sky and think about all that lies beyond our sphere of knowledge. Lately, we’ve heard a lot about NASA’s new James Webb telescope. Scientists are making stunning images and spectacular celestial discoveries, including distant galaxies, magnificent nebulae, and things called dusty ribbons where new stars are born.
We’re learning more and more about the evolution of galaxies, their life cycles, and the dramatic events that occur there. If only we had aircraft that could take us there safely to witness such events. But there’s more to it than beauty and sparkling lights.
Perhaps one of the more intimidating and dangerous celestial phenomena found in outer space is what are called black holes. My limited knowledge of the topic suggests that they are formed when a large star collapses on itself, creating a phenomenon of immense density with an enormously powerful field of gravity. They can’t be seen because even light is drawn into them. Anything that gets too close to a black hole will be summarily sucked into it, disappearing into the unknown, and with unknown consequences.
In aviation, we have our own black holes. While they are nowhere as dense as the celestial phenomenon, they can suck pilots in with disastrous consequences.
The Black Hole Approach
Weather and lighting conditions can do a lot to mess with our visual perceptions. As we learn in our training, a number of visual illusions have been known to plague pilots.
One such illusion is the black hole approach, which occurs at night when approaching an airport with little or no ground lighting near it. In other words, what we see as we approach is only the rectangle of lights formed by the runway lights. If we rely only on our visual cues, it is easy for us to start our descent for the runway much sooner than is prudent. As a result, we might end up too low on our approach to the airport, perhaps snared by terrain or obstacles in the way.
At issue is the fact that we are relying on our perception of the brightness and geometry of the lighting pattern we see before us. For those accustomed to flying from smaller runways at night, we could perceive a larger runway as being much closer than it is when making an approach at night — especially if there is sparse or no lighting adjacent to the runways.
The Black Hole Departure
Perhaps a bit more obscure, and equally as dangerous, is what has been referred to as the black hole departure. This occurs when a pilot makes a departure from an airport in a direction in which there is sparse (or no) ground lighting. Shortly after leaving the perhaps well-lit environment of the airport, the pilot suddenly realizes (or doesn’t realize) that there is no visible horizon. The situation is further exacerbated by a lack of stars or a moon that might provide some sense of which way is up.
In effect, the pilot is suddenly required to fly by instruments. Failing to do so — flying by feel or by the seat of their pants — the pilot can easily suffer vertigo, placing them in an unusual attitude at a relatively low altitude. Even experienced pilots have been known to succumb to sensations and illusions that cause them to put their aircraft in a dangerous situation. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see where that might lead.
In such a scenario, the pilot typically may bank the aircraft and push the yoke forward, which causes them to enter a descending spiral. Alternatively, the pilot pulls nose up, perhaps banking as well, which causes a stall or stall-spin scenario. Unrecognized and unchecked, either scenario can result in unexpected and unpleasant contact with the terrain.
Avoiding Black Holes
To avoid both the black hole approach and the black hole departure, we need to recognize the need to fly by reference to instruments — even when operating in VFR conditions. On the approach to an airport in a potential black hole scenario, one way to avoid succumbing to the black illusion is to fly an instrument procedure to the desired runway. This provides the guidance we need, as long as we stay on the published approach all the way to minimums.
For those not instrument rated, another tactic can also help you avoid a black hole experience. To begin, we don’t want to start our descent from cruise until we’re in a safe position to do so. We need to be aware of the terrain elevations surrounding the area of the airport, and ensure we stay safely above the terrain as we make our initial approach to the area. The objective is to overfly the airport at or above pattern altitude, depending on the surrounding terrain and other factors.
Next, we want to enter the pattern using normal procedures, such as a 45-degree entry to the downwind leg. If landing at a nontowered airport with pilot-controlled lighting, we should reactivate the airport lighting by clicking our mic. Three clicks for low intensity, five for medium intensity, and seven clicks for high intensity. Once we activate the lighting, it should stay on for 15 minutes, giving us more than enough time to finish our approach and landing. The last thing we need is to have the runway lights suddenly extinguish as we maneuver for landing — a situation that can be quite disconcerting.
Once established on downwind, we can use our standard key points to fly a normal pattern. When abeam the touchdown point, we can establish a descent, and then turn base when the touchdown point is about 45 degrees behind the wing. That should have us on base at perhaps 700 feet AGL, just over a mile from the touchdown point, and turning onto final at roughly 500 feet AGL.
Once on final, we should pay attention to any available references, such as the visual approach slope indicator or precision approach path indicator lights. Following this guidance typically keeps us on a roughly 3-degree glide path to the touchdown zone.
When making a VFR departure in a situation that could lead to a black hole departure, we should be on standby to transition to instrument flight, or at least be cross-checking our attitude and airspeed as the ground lighting disappears below us. As an additional safety measure, we should cross-check those instruments all the way to cruise altitude, then level off and set the power and trim appropriately. To ensure terrain clearance, follow any published departure procedure for the airport and runway in question.
Flying beneath a star-studded sky with bright twinkling lights can be a breathtaking experience. But there is danger lurking in the darkness. As long as we have the right knowledge and take precautions to avoid potential pitfalls — including those dreaded black holes — we can manage the risks and enjoy the magnificence and splendor of night flying.
Robert N. Rossier, EAA 472091, has been flying for more than 40 years and has worked as a flight instructor, commercial pilot, chief pilot, and FAA flight check airman.