Military Lights Up For GA

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You can’t avoid what you can’t see and the military has seen the light when it comes to training in total darkness. The FAA has approved a scaled-back and more GA-friendly approach to “lights out” training by military pilots in military operating areas (MOA). The boys in blue (or brown or green) will still be able to play their night games but only if they’re under constant radar surveillance. Also, when a non-participating aircraft enters the MOA, the night-goggles get put away and the lights go back on. Airports neighboring MOAs will get an education program that includes a section on lights-out operations, and an online version may soon be in the works. The fighter jocks need to train without beacons and other lights to get used to using night-vision gear over hostile territory. But the rest of us don’t have see-in-the-dark capability and AOPA pointed out the obvious hazard to the feds. “We appreciate the response by the military to our safety concerns,” said AOPA spokesman Andy Cebula.

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