A night rating permits an

aircraft pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

to fly at night under

visual flight rules In aviation, visual flight rules (VFR) is a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better tha ...

. The alternative is flight by

instrument flight rules In aviation, instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules (VFR). The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ''Instrument Fl ...

(IFR), under which visual reference to terrain and traffic is not required. In aviation, "night" is defined as the period from "the end of evening civil twilight to the beginning of morning civil twilight". In

EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Commission with responsibility for civil aviation safety in the European Union. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs inve ...

states and the United Kingdom, the requirements for a night rating for aeroplanes are: * theoretical instruction * at least 5 hours of flight time in the appropriate aircraft category at night, including at least 3 hours of dual instruction, including at least 1 hour of cross-country navigation with at least one dual cross-country flight of at least 50 km (27 nautical miles), and 5 solo take-offs and 5 solo full-stop landings. Different rules apply for helicopters and balloons. The night rating is a prerequisite for the issue of a Commercial Pilot Licence. In Australia, the qualification is known as a "Night VFR rating", and requires 10 hours of flight time at night in an aircraft or simulator, including at least 5 hours of cross-country flight at night in an aircraft. A night rating does not expire. In the United States, there is no night rating. Night training is a prerequisite for the Private Pilot Licence. Sport pilots and recreational pilots may not fly at night.

References

Aviation law Night flying {{aviation-stub