@LouisIngenthron great lesson learned. I really wish that the private pilot license would need more than 3 hours of night.
@WiredForFlight Honestly, when you look at it from an experience perspective, all the requirements for private pilot license should probably be doubled at least.
But when you look at it from a financial perspective, I can see how some think it's too high a barrier of entry already.
@WiredForFlight @LouisIngenthron Gotta chime in here and agree with Sam on the IFR requirement. Once you go through IFR training, just chasing hamburgers in clear and a million is much easier and safer. I remember once night I went out with about 80 hours to get night currant (with zero IFR training) on a dark night, and struggled for a bit on climb out with straight and level. Had I had some IFR training, I would have known where to look on the panel quickly. PPL did not really teach that.
@Av8rdan @WiredForFlight @LouisIngenthron When my dad left the Navy in 1963 after serving as a flight surgeon on carriers (which required him to fly missions like the other pilots, so he would understand their pressures), he considered getting a civil aviation license but was too horrified at the low requirements and decided he didn't want to risk sharing the airspace with the inept.
@LouisIngenthron I see both sides. Really one option is to do what other countries do and make it an IFR requirement or special endorsement.