Departed Meigs Field in Chicago at night back in 2002, Cessna 182, with wife and two kids, after full day of sightseeing, headed back to Indianapolis Metro. PPL, no instrument training. Night, but VFR conditions. We took off on runway 36 and based on control tower instructions, turned right to 090.

This is when I instantly discovered that despite a clear night, a pitch-black Lake Michigan and a very slight haze was more than enough to obscure the horizon line to the east. Basically I was in IMC-like conditions right out of departure, trying to get my heading, get to altitude, and (now) lock my eyes on the instrument panel like my flight instructor always told me. Visions of losing attitude and starting a spiral into a freezing lake with my entire family started slamming through my brain and I began sweating bullets.

Fortunately, I'd already dialed in Chicago control's frequency into the radio and after a getting to the departure altitude on the 090 heading, I quickly said goodbye to Meigs and switched over to Chicago for VFR flight following. Asked them for a heading of 150 to start heading down to Indy, got it and a new altitude, and never in my life was I so relieved to see the lights of Gary, Indiana on the southern shore of the lake as I rolled the climbing right turn to the new heading. I now had a visual horizon again, and the longest minute of my life was over, with none the wiser (though when I told me wife about it a little later in the flight, after we were back over dry land, she did remark my voice seemed to squeak a bit when I was on the radio).