Flying during the eclipse...

[Frank Giger]

As a Sport Pilot I'm not allowed to fly at night.

Would I be breaking the rules if I was in the air during the solar eclipse?



Just a trivia question - I plan on driving up into the path with the family for viewing from the ground.

[CHICAGORANDY]

I would think that night means after sunset?

[FlyingRon]

Night is defined in no fewer than four places in the FARs. However, none of them apply to the eclipse. They're all based on sun position with the horizon.

[Bill Greenwood]

If I recall the FARs defiine night like 30 min after Civil Twilight and 30 min before Civil Sunrise. Unless the have a specific rule just for eclpse I dont see how that would be considered night. Youd still have to have vfr min vis for a sport pilot but shouild have that ok.

[FlyingRon]

If I recall the FARs defiine night like 30 min after Civil Twilight and 30 min before Civil Sunrise. Unless the have a specific rule just for eclpse I dont see how that would be considered night. Youd still have to have vfr min vis for a sport pilot but shouild have that ok.

Nope, that's not a definition in use anywhere.


Part 1 defines night as from the end of civil twilight at dusk to the beginning at dawn.

61.31 Night Currency defines it as an hour after sunset to an hour before sunrise. As does 135.247.

91.209 (aircraft lights) and 91.157 (special VFR) as well as Part 105 define it as sunset to sunrise.

103.11 defines it as alternatively sunset/sunrise or 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise.

107.29 has it's own idea as to the definition of civil twilight and what that means for "daytime."

Part 1 used to refer to the American Air Almanac which hasn't been published in half a century. I filed a petition for rulemaking (Approved!) to correct the citation to just the "Air Almanac" (it's co-published now between the US and the UK).

[Bill Greenwood]

Nope, that's not a definition in use anywhere.


Part 1 defines night as from the end of civil twilight at dusk to the beginning at dawn.

Nope. that's not what it says. Reading directly from my copy of FAR, definitions part 1.1 "the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight"
It dawns on me that the word "dawn" is not even in there.

I havent often tried nit picking what someone else writes, and frankly dont see that much fun in it, especially if the person has written "if I recall". And will the eclipse be during this period or during the day?

[FlyingRon]

I only "nit picked" because you posted it in response to the already correct answer I had given. Your further "nitpicking" doesn't contradict anything I correctly stated in any of my posts. If you're going to correct people with misinformation, get a thicker skin when they take issue with your "recollections."

[Bill Greenwood]

Frank, two people have given you definitions on this site. Mine comes word for word from the FARs of which my copy is an older one. You can also look it up yourself. If you google "night" as defined by FARs, as I did, you once again get the exact wording I used above. Now the source given is AOPA quoting the FAA so you can take or leave AOPA as a valid source. Anyone can make a dispute out of the issue ,but if you fly during the eclipse it wont be at night. Good luck

small footnote, Im not too good with tech like computers, and can barely operate a cell phone, or a GPS but I can read. As a kid in an elmentary school of about 600 I was exempt from standard reading class to read on my own,not much aviation back then ,read all the Cousteau books, and undersea books. Thanks to my sisters or brother who taught me to read before Kindergarten. I wasnt the top one in high school, had two classmates who made perfect score on SATs. One of my schoolmates was George Bush,young
It never occured to me before to make a contest out of reading on this forum and still dont see much fun in it. Seems a bit like kicking your neighbors dog. And if someone writes something Id rather try to see their meaning instead of pick apart their wording.

[rwanttaja]

Keep in mind that the FARS do not specify WHICH celestial object. A total solar eclipse means the sun is below the lunar horizon. So, Frank, you're grounded...:-)

Ron Wanttaja

[Frank Giger]

I think I'd frame the write up for flying in darkness without the proper rating or without the proper equipment (lights on the aircraft) for that one.