FAA night flight requirements for the PPL
The Private Pilot License requires a minimum of 3 hours of night flight training under FAR 61.109(a)(2). Those 3 hours must include:
- One cross-country flight of more than 100 nautical miles total distance
- 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop at an airport with an operating control tower
These requirements apply to training conducted with a CFI present (dual instruction). Night solo flight, including the solo cross-country, does not need to occur at night — your solo requirements can be completed entirely during daytime.
Airport lighting — runway edge white, taxiway blue, PAPI glidepath