Night flight is one of the most beautiful times to be in a light aircraft. But there are some times when the unexpected jumps up in a way that’s terrifying at best, deadly at worst.

I was flying three passengers in a VFR Archer from Fort Myers, Fla., to Orlando one evening. We departed Page Field as the sky was just losing its grip on the last golden vestiges of the setting sun. Departure had been delayed a bit while we waited for some thunderstorms north of the airport to move east and out of the way. …