01
You fly for yourself
Flying stops being a daylight-only hobby. A Night Rating lets you operate safely and legally after dark, with greater flexibility in planning and conducting your flights.
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Night Rating
The sky doesn't close at sunset.
A Night Rating gives you the freedom to fly after sunset, opening the door to a whole new perspective of aviation under the stars — flying in visual conditions at night, with more flexibility in how you plan and fly.
- Starting point
- A valid Private Pilot Licence
- Instrument instruction
- 10 hours
- No more than 5 of them in a simulator.
- Night begins
- 15 minutes after sunset
- And ends 15 minutes before sunrise.
Where to begin
Who takes a Night Rating?
Two kinds of pilot, for two different reasons — and the training is the same for both.
02
You're building a career
It isn't optional. The Commercial Pilot Licence requires a valid Private Pilot Licence and Night Rating, so this is the next step after your PPL.
The licence itself
What a Night Rating lets you do
A rating is an endorsement added to the licence you already hold: it adds a privilege, it doesn't change the licence.
With a Night Rating you can
- Fly at night in visual flight conditions (VFR)
- Extend your flying beyond daylight hours, safely and legally
- Plan and conduct flights with more flexibility
- Meet one of the requirements for the Commercial Pilot Licence
Not until you train further
- Fly in cloud or other instrument conditions — that needs an Instrument Rating
- Change what your licence allows: a private pilot still may not fly for reward
- Replace the Instrument Rating on the professional route — most commercial flying is flown under Instrument Flight Rules
In aviation terms, night is defined as 15 minutes after sunset until 15 minutes before sunrise.
From your first night circuit to 150 miles in the dark
How you earn it
Four things to complete, all flown at night except the instrument work that prepares you for it.
Chapter 01
Before the light goes
Step 01
Instrument instruction
Flying accurately on instruments, for the moments when the horizon isn't there.
Milestone: 10 hours of instrument instruction
Ten hours of instrument instruction, of which not more than five hours may be accumulated in a flight simulator. Night flying removes the visual cues you have learned to rely on, so this comes first.
Chapter 02
The circuit, lit up
Step 02
Take-offs and landings by night
Judging height, approach and landing by lights instead of daylight.
Milestone: 5 take-offs and landings by night
Five take-offs and landings flown at night, until the circuit feels as familiar in the dark as it does in daylight.
Chapter 03
150 miles in the dark
Step 03The moment it becomes yours
The night cross-country
Navigating between aerodromes in the dark, including a controlled airport.
Milestone: 150 nautical miles, two full-stop landings
A night cross-country of at least 150 nautical miles, including two full-stop landings at different aerodromes and a controlled airport — the flight most pilots remember this rating by.
Chapter 04
Examined, and signed off
Step 04
Examination and night flight test
Showing that you can operate at night to the required standard.
Milestone: Online examination and practical test
An online examination, then a practical night flight test with a Grade II Instructor.
These are the requirements the rating is issued against — your instructor will plan the order with you.
No surprises
What it takes
What you need before you start, what you fly during the rating, and what's required before it's issued.
01
Before you start
What the rating is added to.
Hold a valid Private Pilot Licence (PPL)
Licence requirement
02
During your training
What you complete with Eagle Air.
10 hours of instrument instruction
Of which not more than 5 hours may be accumulated in a flight simulator.
Licence requirement5 take-offs and landings by night
Licence requirementA night cross-country of at least 150 nautical miles
Including two full-stop landings at different aerodromes, and a controlled airport.
Licence requirement
03
Before the rating is issued
The examination and the test.
Pass an online examination
Licence requirementPass a practical night flight test with a Grade II Instructor
Licence requirement
Licence requirement is set by the regulator; Eagle Air guidance is our own advice, not a condition of entry.
Honest numbers
How long it takes
Eagle Air doesn't publish a timeframe for the Night Rating, so this page doesn't invent one. The hours listed are what the rating requires, not how long it will take you.
What changes it
- How often you fly
- Training frequency is one of the factors the school names for pilot training generally.
- Night availability
- Every hour of this rating that matters is flown after sunset, so your schedule has to suit that.
- Individual progress
- Individual aptitude is one of the factors the school names for how long training takes.
What it costs
What it costs
No price is published for the Night Rating. The team will tell you what it costs for the hours you actually need.
What drives the total
The hours you fly
10 hours of instrument instruction, 5 night take-offs and landings, and a 150 nm night cross-country are the requirements.
Simulator or aircraft
Up to 5 of the 10 instrument hours may be flown in the simulator rather than the aircraft.
The cross-country itself
At least 150 nautical miles with full-stop landings at two different aerodromes, one of them a controlled airport.
Alongside the flying
- The online examination
- The practical night flight test with a Grade II Instructor
What Eagle Air includes and what you arrange yourself is confirmed with the training team.
Common questions
- For detailed and up-to-date pricing information, please contact us directly at info@eagleair.co.za, and our team will gladly assist you.
- Yes, part-time training is available. However, it generally extends the overall duration of the course and may result in exceeding the minimum required flight hours due to less frequent training and slower skill progression. While this does not negatively impact the quality of training, it may have cost implications if training intervals become too infrequent.
- To begin the enrolment process, simply email info@eagleair.co.za, and one of our experienced team members will guide you through each step and assist you in getting started efficiently.
The horizon after this one
After your Night Rating
Where a night qualification usually leads.
Next · 01
Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL)
With a PPL and Night Rating in hand, this is the licence that lets you fly for a living.
Next · 02
Instrument Rating
Flying in cloud and low visibility, on instruments alone. It asks for a PPL with a Night Rating, or a CPL.
Next · 03
Hour Building — Hire & Fly
Hire aircraft and build experience, now with the night hours to go with it.
Your first step
You don't need to stop flying when the sun goes down.
Tell us where you are — your licence, your hours and whether this is for pleasure or the next step of a career — and the training team will plan the rating around you.