Cessna 172N Night Operations — PPL Oral Exam Questions

DPE oral questions · night operations

13 questions a DPE may ask in this section

1. Question 1 · PA.XI

   You want to take a friend up for a night flight tonight. How do you determine if you are current?

   What a DPE expects to hear

   • 3 takeoffs and 3 landings TO A FULL STOP within preceding 90 days
   • Period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise
   • Same category, class, and type

   Source14 CFR 61.57(b)

2. Question 2 · PA.XI

   Sun sets at 6:00 PM. You take off at 6:20 PM. Can you log this as night flight time, and does it count toward passenger currency?

   What a DPE expects to hear

   • Log night = end of evening civil twilight to beginning of morning civil twilight
   • Passenger currency = must occur at least ONE HOUR after sunset
   • 6:20 PM is NOT currency — only 20 min after sunset

   Source14 CFR 61.57(b); 14 CFR 1.1 (definition of night)

3. Question 3 · PA.XI

   What equipment is required for night VFR that isn't required during the day?

   What a DPE expects to hear

   • FLAPS — Fuses (spare set), Landing light (only if operated for hire), Anti-collision lights, Position lights (nav lights), Source of electrical power

   Source14 CFR 91.205(c)

4. Question 4 · PA.XI

   Approaching a non-towered airport at night. How do you turn on the runway lights and adjust intensity?

   What a DPE expects to hear

   • Key mic on CTAF frequency
   • 7 clicks in 5 seconds = high intensity, 5 clicks = medium, 3 clicks = low

   SourceAIM 2-1-9

5. Question 5 · PA.XI

   How do your eyes adapt to the dark, and what should you avoid to maintain effective night vision?

   What a DPE expects to hear

   • Rods responsible for night vision — take about 30 minutes to fully adapt
   • Avoid bright white light (use red light for charts)
   • Smoking and dehydration degrade night vision

   SourcePHAK Chapter 17; ACS Task I.H

6. Question 6 · PA.XI

   Explain the proper way to scan for traffic at night. Is it the same as during the day?

   What a DPE expects to hear

   • NO — use peripheral vision due to night blind spot in center of vision
   • Scan in segments, look 5-10 degrees off-center to allow rods to detect objects

   SourcePHAK Chapter 17; ACS Task I.H

7. Question 7 · PA.XI

   You've been staring at a single light on the horizon and it suddenly looks like it's moving. What is this called and how do you fix it?

   What a DPE expects to hear

   • Autokinesis — occurs when you fixate on a single light source in the dark
   • Fix: shift your gaze and use proper scanning technique rather than staring at the light

   SourcePHAK Chapter 17

8. Question 8 · PA.XI

   You are approaching a runway over a large body of water or unlit forest. What illusion might you face?

   What a DPE expects to hear

   • Black hole effect (featureless terrain illusion)
   • Makes you feel you are HIGHER than you actually are — leads to dangerously LOW approach

   SourcePHAK Chapter 17; RMH Chapter 6

9. Question 9 · PA.XI

   Flying through light haze at night and I'm starting to feel dizzy. Why might I ask you to turn off the strobe lights?

   What a DPE expects to hear

   • High-intensity lights reflecting off clouds/haze/propeller can cause flicker vertigo or spatial disorientation
   • Turning them off reduces the light reflection
   • It IS legal to turn off anti-collision lights if pilot determines safety hazard — 14 CFR 91.209(b)

   SourceAIM 2-1-10

10. Question 10 · PA.XI

    What are the weather minimums for VFR tonight at 2,500 feet MSL in Class G airspace?

    What a DPE expects to hear

    • 3 SM visibility, 500 below / 1,000 above / 2,000 horizontal from clouds
    • This applies to Class G above 1,200 AGL — below 1,200 AGL at night the same minimums apply

    Source14 CFR 91.155

11. Question 11 · PA.XI

    How did you choose your checkpoints for tonight's cross-country and how do they differ from daytime?

    What a DPE expects to hear

    • Night checkpoints should be well-lit and easily identifiable — cities, large airports with rotating beacons, prominent highway intersections
    • NOT small ponds or terrain features

    SourcePHAK Chapter 16; ACS Task VI.A

12. Question 12 · PA.XI

    We've planned a trip 150 miles away. How much fuel must you have on board at the moment of landing per FARs?

    What a DPE expects to hear

    • Night VFR — enough fuel to reach destination PLUS fly for at least 45 minutes at normal cruising speed

    Source14 CFR 91.151(a)(2)

13. Question 13 · PA.XI

    Alternator fails and battery is only power source, 20 miles from destination. What is your plan?

    What a DPE expects to hear

    • Immediately reduce electrical load — turn off non-essential items (radios, cabin lights, heater)
    • Conserve battery for flaps and landing light
    • Land as soon as practical

    SourcePOH Section 3; ACS Task IX.C