Night Time Lighting is Great For After Dark Navigation Thanks To The Lighthouses.

[Tinkickef]

Many of the missions I make are either at night, or long enough that daytime falls into night time.  I made a Mossie mission requiring full fuel for the latter type.

It was a disaster.  Odiham to the target airfield south of St Malo, cannot remember the name. EDIT.  Dinan.

My force fought its way down the peninsula at tree top level, 70% of the mossies either getting shot down by heavy and accurate 20 and 88mm flak, coasted out headed east for St Malo after getting our bearings at Saint Michel, headed for St Malo in the fading light and turned south down the river, knowing the airfield to be east of the rivers end.

Only two of twelve mossies made it back over england and in pitch black.  No lighting anywhere.  If none of the AI mossies survived so I could follow the nav lights, it would have been mission end far sooner. I would have been hopelessly lost. In any case, AI orbiting a very dark Odiham,  could not find any landing grounds and running out of fuel, had to bail out.  Not a great outcome.

 

Set date to 1947 to enable the lights and tried again.  Absolutely marvelous.  Made our way to the target and egressed.

Set course for St Malo light, turned 30 degrees and made landfall on the peninsula.  Cherbourg light to port and what I guess is the Barfleur lighthouse to starboard.   Flew up the penunsula and over the channel.  By this time it was late dusk and all the town lighting was on.  Incredible detail, even rural road junctions are lit.

Climbed up to 5000ft, turned north and after a few minutes, was confronted by lights on the english coast, the leftmost being I judge, Portland light and the right one ebeing Anvil Point Light.  I headed for the anvil point light, mistaking it for the Needles light.

Two more lights appeared, confusing me enough to have to take a quick look at F10 and noted that I was not headed for the Needles, but anvil point.  Course set for the two lights, one being the Needles and the other being Hurst Point Light.  Hurst point light is the brighter of the two.

Flew up the Solent with Needles light to starboard and Hurst point on the nose as my turning point.  Absolutely pitch black with no moon by now. 

Set course to 60 degrees over Hurst Point Light.  By now Needs Oar Point Airfield was clearly visible to Starboard.

Maintaining 60 degrees from Hurst Point light brings you into the area of Odiham and the flarepath is clearly visible.

 

Have to say that landing in the dark with just a flarepath is "challenging" very dificult to judge height.  You have to have your altimeter set to QFE to stand a chance.

 

In conclusion, the map is very useable and beautiful at night with lighting on.  

Edited May 13, 2023 by Tinkickef

[Nealius]

Does the year need to be post-WW2 for the lights to work?

[Ala13_ManOWar]

I believe yes, during wartime there was a night light curfew due to night bombings.

[Miro]

On 5/15/2023 at 7:21 AM, Nealius said:

Does the year need to be post-WW2 for the lights to work?

Try to set 1947, it worked for me, but city lights are almost invisible from 25000ft. Lighthouses and aifields are visible from higher altitudes.