So I'm finished flying during the day. The remainder of my flights here at Fort Rucker will be at night. Instead of getting up really early, I'm back on my regular college schedule: get to bed around 1 or 2 and go to work around 1 in the afternoon - nice!I thought I'd pass along a little info to you about how exactly we're able to fly at night. We use these magic things called "Night Vision Goggles" (NVGs). It's pretty amazing how they actually work, but suffice it to say that they amplify and intensify forms of energy that you would not normally see during the night.
If you're not convinced, watch this video of a helicopter on a night search. Imagine doing this without NVGs.
You wear NVGs on top of your helmet and flip them down in front of your eyes to see at night. (See image above - stylish, huh?) You also pray that you don't break them because they're not cheap by any means. Flying with NVGs is a real challenge. Your field of view is greatly reduced, so you have to move your head all over the place to see what you'd normally see during the day - if you see it at all!
Well, hopefully that gives you all something to think about. In the meantime, I'll be re-learning how to fly under NVGs and paying a lot closer attention to things like moonrise, moonset, moon azimuth, and % illumination.
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