Ask Captain Lim ~ All about Aviation - I am deathly afraid of flying at night?

Hello Capt Lim!

I must say, I enjoyed reading your explanation on the safety of flying on Google. I am scheduled to fly to Brussels, Belgium at 5:41pm EST, arriving at 7:30am - Brussels time (6+ EST). I think the carrier is United Airlines.

I am deathly afraid. How do the pilots fly at night??? Won*t they get tired, especially since the flight is about eight hours AND it will be in the wee hours of the morning for us?

Is it safe...no, is it natural to fly for such an extended amount of time? Do you recommend trying to obtain a mild sedative from my general physician? Do you think that turbulence will be bad, due to the fact that we*ll be in the air so long?

Marci K. Ephraim

Hi Marci,

There is very little difference between flying in day or night as the computer does most of the navigation (if you think pilots need to look out to see where they are going to!) In fact, most long haul flights are planned to depart at night so that the plane arrives at the destination in the morning ? mainly for the convenience of the passengers!

Yes, it is safe to fly at night. (Please read about night flights here) For the safety of passengers, pilots must abide by their rules and regulations such that they have sufficient rest and sleep prior to undertaking the flight. Any pilots found in breach of the airlines regulations is liable to be dismissed.

If your general physician thinks it is okay to take a mild sedative, then go ahead. Some passengers find it difficult to sleep in the airplane. So it would be helpful to you and the 8-hours flight may not seem too long.

As regards to turbulence, I have answered many similar questions in my site here.