When preparing for a night flight, what should an sUAS pilot be aware of after assembling and conducting a preflight of an aircraft while using a bright flashlight or work light?
Once adapted to darkness, a persons eyes are relatively immune to bright lights.
It takes approximately 30 minutes for a persons eyes to fully adapt to darkness.✓ Correct Answer
The person should use a flash light equipped with LED lights to facilitate their night vision.
Explanation
Dark adaptation is slow: PHAK Ch. 17 explains that the rods need about 30 minutes to reach full night sensitivity, and a single exposure to bright light (such as a work light or flashlight used during preflight) can destroy that adaptation and restart the process. Dark-adapted eyes are therefore very sensitive to bright light, not immune to it, and a bright white LED flashlight does not help preserve night vision; low-intensity (dim or red) light is recommended.
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