Getting Your Night Rating

A private pilot without a night rating can only fly between the hours of dawn and dusk. This is defined by Transport Canada as 1/2 hour before sunrise (Transport Canada’s official “dawn”) and 1/2 hour after sunset (Transport Canada’s official “sunset”).

With this rating you will no longer have to sit on the ground on those beautiful crisp, clear nights. Not to be confused with an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) rating, the night rating does NOT allow you to fly in cloud, but rather in VFR (Visual Flight Rules) conditions at night. In very simple terms, imagine a night that is either clear, or has cloud that is high enough that you can fly at the altitude you wish, while still remaining well below the cloud.

Night flying is its own adventure, with the added bonus that the air at night is often very smooth (no turbulence). Having a night rating also adds flexibility to your flight planning, allowing you to be “wheels up” in the early hours, or to remain on course long after the sun has gone down. So let’s take a look at what’s involved in getting your night rating.

You will require a minimum of 20 hours flight time including the following:

• 5 hours dual night flying
• 5 hours solo night flying
• 10 hours of dual instrument time
  

Instrument time is time that you will spend learning to fly using nothing but your instruments as a navigational reference. Consider this an introduction to your IFR rating.

Any dual instrument time that you have previously acquired (5hrs from the Private Pilot course) can be credited towards the 10 instrument hour requirement.

The night rating endorsement does not involve a written test or flight test.

Click here for Night Rating course fees.

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