Shorter days mean more night flying.
Autumn’s shorter days mean you’ll have more opportunity to fly at night. Night flight has a lot going for it: there’s generally less traffic, so the pattern—and ATC radio frequencies—aren’t so crowded; without the sun’s heating, the air’s usually smoother; and many checkpoints are easier to pick out at night, as well. Aspiring private pilots will find that they can log their required night flight time (between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight) much earlier during the fall and winter months. Before flying with passengers at night, however, make sure you’re current for night operations—especially the requirement to log at least three landings to a full stop at night (beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise) within the previous 90 days and in the same category, class, and type (if required) aircraft. Your minimum fuel requirements are higher at night, too.
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