Fly by Night

Training for after-dark flying with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

- Patrick Sherman K

PILOT REPORT

It is embarrassing—bordering on painful—to learn an obvious lesson in front of your colleagues, especially when your colleagues are literally the best in the world at what they do. Nevertheless, that was the situation I managed to create for myself during a recent trip to Prescott, Arizona. This incident unfolded amid heady circumstances. I had recently been named adjunct faculty to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Worldwide Campus Department of Flight. Along with other members of the team, I participated in a series of uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) training exercises and real-world testing this past October.

ERAU has two physical campuses, one in Daytona Beach, Florida, and the other in Prescott. However, we spent almost all of our time 20 miles north of the city at Gunsite Academy, an expansive civilian firearms training facility, encompassing 3,000 acres of arid scrub. Each day was punctuated by the distant sound of gunfire, as students from all over the country practiced their skills on the many ranges scattered across the property.

SAFETY FIRST

Although it lies beneath Class G airspace, flying over Gunsite required careful attention to the surrounding environment. In our immediate vicinity, the sectional chart noted extensive instrument flight rules (IFR) training at 10,000 feet and below. That meant that not only would there be a lot of airplanes flying around, but the student pilots would be wearing “hoods” designed to restrict their view to the instrument panel. So, each plane would have one less pair of eyeballs available to be watching for airspace conflicts.