Night operations
When the sun goes down, an unlit airfield goes quiet. With runway lighting your airport keeps working through the night – and earns money while everyone else sleeps.
The rules
Night lasts from 21:00 to 05:00. During that time:
- Take-offs and landings are only allowed on runways with runway lighting.
- Based aircraft – flight school, sightseeing aircraft and hangar tenants already in the air – always come home, even to an unlit strip.
- Visiting aircraft divert straight away if no lit runway is available, instead of circling until dawn.
- Taxiing is noticeably slower without taxiway lighting.
The flight schedule check warns you about any planned night movement on an unlit runway.
Night mail
Mail is the classic night business. With the research Mail flights you sign contracts with Paulsen Luftpost:
- Night mail arrives between 3:00 and 4:30 and pays the full rate – but only with a lit runway.
- Morning mail arrives between 6:00 and 7:30 and pays about 60 % of the night rate.
Mail contracts run six flights a week, and a cancelled flight costs a penalty – so if you promise night mail, keep the lights on.
Quiet nights
When nothing is moving and the next departure is a while away, the game speeds up through the quiet night automatically and slows down again shortly before the first flight of the morning. No need to sit and watch the runway lights blink.
Going further
- Taxiway lighting (after runway lighting) lets aircraft taxi at full speed at night.
- Instrument landing (phase 4) keeps approaches running in rain and bad weather.
- A side goal in chapter 3 asks for five night landings – a good excuse to light your runway early.