mcb@styx.UUCP (Michael C. Berch) (12/18/85)
One thing that has always puzzled me as a passenger in airliners
is that the flight crew always dims or turns off the cabin lights
during night/evening takeoffs. I asked a flight attendant, who mumbled
something about a "safety regulation". While I can see that there is
a trivial increase in fire danger (since *some* lights are always left
on), and their use consumes a trivial amount of electricity from the power
plants that conceivably could be channeled to thrust, it seems to me
that the increased visibility for the flight attendants in case of
trouble would be a reason to keep them on. Anybody know anything
about this?
Michael C. Berch
ARPA: mcb@lll-tis-b.ARPA
UUCP: {akgua,allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,dual,ihnp4,sun}!idi!styx!mcbjdb@mordor.UUCP (John Bruner) (12/18/85)
A few months ago, I overhead a nearby passenger ask a flight attendant why the lights were dimmed at night. The answer was twofold. The dimmer lighting makes it easier for passengers to sleep (other passengers can always use their reading lamps). Also, in the event of a survivable crash landing (e.g. ditching, skidding off an icy runway), the passengers are not night-blind. Electrical power is lost when the engines stop (presumably no APU is running), and the transition from a brightly-lighted cabin to (near) darkness might be fatal to many passengers who otherwise would have survived. -- John Bruner (S-1 Project, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) MILNET: jdb@mordor [jdb@s1-c.ARPA] (415) 422-0758 UUCP: ...!ucbvax!dual!mordor!jdb ...!seismo!mordor!jdb
john@gcc-milo.ARPA (John Allred) (12/19/85)
In article <17661@styx.UUCP> mcb@styx.UUCP (Michael C. Berch) writes: >One thing that has always puzzled me as a passenger in airliners >is that the flight crew always dims or turns off the cabin lights >during night/evening takeoffs. I asked a flight attendant, who mumbled >something about a "safety regulation". > >Michael C. Berch >ARPA: mcb@lll-tis-b.ARPA If the lights are off in the evening, your eyes are somewhat night adapted. If the lights were on, and then a crash occurred (and the lights then go out), your eyes are next to useless for about 15 minutes. -- John Allred General Computer Company uucp: seismo!harvard!gcc-milo!john
ron@brl-sem.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (12/21/85)
> One thing that has always puzzled me as a passenger in airliners > is that the flight crew always dims or turns off the cabin lights > during night/evening takeoffs. They don't always turn them off. I figured it was always so that we could look out the window easier when we got close enough to the ground to see something. I always appreciate it when the do. They also dim the lights on long flights after dinner so you can sleep. If there really was a safety reason, why don't they turn the lights out on approach during the daytime? -Ron
kerry@ctvax (12/23/85)
Have you ever noticed the lights will occasionally dim or go off altogether
when the aircraft is taking off or going into a landing configuration?
In some aircraft, this doesn't happen (DC-10, 757), but I flew an old and
tired 727 from BOS to DFW once, and it happened a lot! And come to think of it,
they did dim the cabin lights about 1 hour after take-off. I thought it was so
those of us who felt comfortable in the role of a sardine could sleep.
As a pilot, I love to fly. As a passenger crammed into a small airliner that
is filled to capacity, and in the air for 3 hours and 45 minutes, I hate it
with a passion!!!
ctvax!kerry
"If God had meant man to pull more than 1 g, He would have
made his legs and abdomen inflatable."