Night Rating (NQ)

During the Night Rating training, you learn to handle the challenges of flying and navigating at night. The legal minimum is five flight hours after sunset. We conduct these lessons on the Cessna 172, which is equipped with the proper lighting and instruments for safe night operations. You will start by getting used to the dark environment and interpreting instruments without a natural horizon. Your instructor will teach you to navigate using illuminated ground features, such as cities and highways. Because night flying in the Netherlands is limited during the summer, we sometimes use suitable airfields in Germany to ensure continuity.

Solo flights and navigation

An essential part of the training is piloting the aircraft yourself. You will demonstrate your proficiency by performing at least three solo landings. For these landings, you must bring the aircraft to a complete stop before taking off again. In addition, you will complete a cross-country navigation flight to another airfield. During this flight, you will combine radio navigation with visual landmarks to find your destination.

Options for holders of a LAPL

The training path described above assumes you hold a PPL. However, pilots with a Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL) can also obtain the Night Rating. The exact program may differ for this group due to specific regulations. Please contact us to discuss the options for adding the Night Rating to your LAPL.

The entire course must be completed within 6 months. If you do not finish within this time, you will need to restart the training.

Special Air Academy and GreenCarbon offer the option to offset the CO² emissions of your training flights (up to 70.525 kg per hour). This is achieved through certified Dutch projects that plant trees to remove CO². These forests remain for at least 12 years and are clearly visible from the air, making them suitable targets for your navigation flights. The certificates are registered with ONCRA.org to ensure integrity.

You don’t need to take separate theory exams for this rating. We integrate the theory directly into your flight briefings. Before departure, your instructor will go over the specifics of night flying with you. Together, we will look at the risks and how to prevent or resolve errors. For example, you will learn how your vision can play tricks on you in the dark and the best way to handle this. We discuss realistic scenarios you might encounter at night, such as optical illusions or estimating your altitude over a dark landscape. The regulations regarding airfield lighting are also covered.

The listed rates include VAT. These prices are estimates based on the legal minimum requirements for the practical flight training. No rights can be derived from these guidelines.

Before starting the Night Rating training, you must hold a valid Class 2 medical certificate. It is important that you have no restrictions regarding color blindness. In addition, you need a Private Pilot License (PPL) with a valid Single Engine Piston (SEP) rating. It is also possible to start this training during your initial PPL course, as soon as you have completed all the standard flight lessons in the syllabus.