What most pilots mean when they say “stick and rudder flying” is really energy management, the process of constantly adjusting your airspeed, altitude, and power to arrive at your intended destination under control. The basic concept is both simple and profound: every airplane flies because of some combination of potential energy (altitude) and kinetic energy (airspeed). Think of it as two buckets that have varying levels of water.

It didn’t take many flights for me to really start to appreciate and enjoy flying at night. In many ways, it is better than flying during the day. But night flight isn’t without some unique challenges. Here are my top 3 hacks to overcome some of those challenges and make your night flights more enjoyable.

Ok, so your checkride was conducted within the parameters…