Section X
Safety Information
i?eechcraft
Twin Engine (Piston)
Avoid areas of low ceilings and restricted visibility unless
you are instrument rated and proficient and have an instru-
ment equipped airplane. Then proceed with caution and with
planned alternates.
VFR
AT
NIGHT
When flying VFR at night, in addition to the altitude appro-
priate for the direction of flight, pilots should maintain a safe
minimum altitude as dictated by terrain, obstacles such as
TV towers, or communities in the area flown. This is espe-
cially true in mountainous terrain, where there is usually very
little ground reference. Minimum clearance is 2,000 feet
above the highest obstacle en route. Do not depend on your
ability to see obstacles in time to miss them. Flight on dark
nights over sparsely populated country can be the same as
IFR, and must be avoided by inexperienced or non-IFR
rated pilots.
VERTIGO - DISORIENTATION
Disorientation can occur in a variety of ways. During flight,
inner ear balancing mechanisms are subjected to varied
forces not normally experienced on the ground. This, com-
bined with loss of outside visual reference, can cause ver-
tigo. False interpretations (illusions) result, and may confuse
the pilot's conception of the attitude and position of his air-
plane.
Under VFR conditions, the visual sense, using the horizon
as a reference, can override the illusions. Under low visibil-
ity conditions (night, fog, clouds, haze, etc.) the illusions pre-
dominate. Only through awareness of these illusions, and
proficiency in instrument flight procedures, can an airplane
be operated safely in a low visibility environment.
Flying in fog, dense haze or dust, cloud banks, or very low
visibility, with strobe lights or rotating beacons turned on can
10·40
May, 1994
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