SMA GOT IN POS WHERE SVFR WAS THE ONLY LEGAL OPTION BUT ACFT WAS NOT IFR EQUIPPED FOR SVFR AT NIGHT.

Narrative

IMMEDIATELY BEFORE DEPARTING AIR HARBOR (W88) FOR GREENSBORO (GSO); I CALLED RALEIGH FLT SVC (1-800- WXBRIEF) AND RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING AND SPECIFICALLY ASKED WHETHER CONDITIONS AT GREENSBORO WERE VFR. AFTER THE BRIEFER TOLD ME THAT CONDITIONS WERE INDEED VFR AT GREENSBORO; I DEPARTED AIR HARBOR. AFTER AIRBORNE; I LISTENED TO ATIS INFO AND THEN CALLED GREENSBORO APCH ON 118.50 AND TOLD THE CTLR I WANTED TO LAND AT GSO. HE INFORMED ME THAT THERE HAD JUST BEEN AN AMENDMENT IN RPTED WX CONDITIONS AND THAT VISIBILITY WAS 2 1/2 MI DUE TO FOG. I INFORMED THE CTLR THAT THE ACFT WAS NOT INST CERTIFIED (A REQUIREMENT WHICH I INTERPRET FROM THE REGS AS NECESSARY TO ENTER AN ARSA UNDER SVFR BTWN SUNSET AND SUNRISE). I THEN TOLD THE CTLR THAT I WOULD GO BACK TO AIR HARBOR. HAVING DIFFICULTY FINDING AIR HARBOR; I CALLED GSO AGAIN AND ASKED FOR VECTORS. WITH THE CTLR'S HELP; I FOUND AIR HARBOR AND CIRCLED TO LAND TWICE BUT COULD NOT SEE THE RWY ON FINAL BECAUSE THE RWY LIGHTS WERE NOT LIT. SINCE WX CONDITIONS WERE DETERIORATING AND I HAD ONLY ABOUT AN HRS WORTH OF FUEL; THE CTLR ALLOWED ME TO ENTER THE GSO ARSA AND LAND UNDER SVFR. A FOUND IT SURPRISING THAT VISIBILITY WAS RPTED AT 2 1/2 MI SINCE I HAD NO TROUBLE SEEING GSO'S RWY 23 LIGHTS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER LEAVING AIR HARBOR (8 MI AWAY). AT NO TIME DID I FEEL AS IF I WAS IN IFR CONDITIONS. IF I HAD TO DO THINGS OVER AGAIN; I WOULD NOT HAVE DEPARTED AIR HARBOR BTWN SUNSET AND SUNRISE IN AN ACFT WHICH WAS NOT IFR CERTIFIED IN WX CONDITIONS WHICH MAY HAVE DETERIORATED INTO IMC; DESPITE THE FACT THAT I WAS ONLY FLYING A SHORT DISTANCE.