Cockpit lighting at night?

Rocketman99

Rocketman99

Frozen Guppy Manipulator
OK, getting away from the merits of leather jackets, hats, and pseudo-RJ programs here's something I've noticed and wondered about in the past 2 years flying for Colgan - folks using bright light in the cockpit at night. Me, I prefer to have all the panel lights and instrument lights as dimly as I can still see them so I can get and keep good night vision going. I seem to be in the minority with folks I've flown with as an FO and now as CA. I'm beginning to think it may be just me or just coming from a military background. So, what do you guys/gals think? Where do you keep your lights?
 
I like it dark also. I flew with a FO that had every single light possible on at night. He said it helped keep him awake. As long as it was his leg I didn't mind it. If its my leg, the lights are out though.
 
Initially I set them so they're just bright enough to read, and when my eyes adjust even more, I dim the lights again.
 
Lights as low as possible -- most of the time OFF and just using a lip light to see any switches I need to actuate.

Any lights in the cockpit create HUGE canopy glare, and if I'm on NVGs it reduces their effectiveness significantly.
 
Hacker15e said:
Lights as low as possible -- most of the time OFF and just using a lip light to see any switches I need to actuate.

Any lights in the cockpit create HUGE canopy glare, and if I'm on NVGs it reduces their effectiveness significantly.
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How does that lip light work out for you? What kind do you use?
 
LOL, I have only two panel lights that work, the VOR's. I have to use the friggen white dome light and my hand held green flashlight to see the panel. It gets really old after 4-5 hours flying at night.....
 
I like mine dim. In the Commander, the cockpit lights tend to reflect off the inside of the windshield, so I keep them as dim as possible to reduce glare. If I am going to be hard IFR for a long while, I will occasionally turn up the lights a wee bit just to help reduce eye fatigue. If I need to see to read something, I will either kick on the overhead map light or will grap my small flashlight.
 
I like it pretty dim if I'm just going to the practice areas, basicaly situations where I already know where I am, but sometimes you just have to turn it up to see the sectional/low enroute charts for night cross countrys (I have to use the dome or my flashlight in the 152s if I want to have a chance of not getting lost, cause the red filter light is just too dim). However like the guy in the Cherokee, this is just in 172s and 152s.
 
Dim, let my eyes adjust and then dim again. I cant stand it when people turn the lights up to the "blaze" position. I have asked CA's to turn down the lights before, its kinda bad when you have traffic called at 0 dark thirty and you cant visually see it from all the glare....
 
I forget where I read it recently, but basically what I read said that the old way of dim, then dim some more (which I've always used) is being replaced by a brighter cockpit at night. Supposedly the brighter cockpit would prevent momentary blindness due to a sudden bright flash (lightning, laser, etc.). Of course this was only recommended for airline/IFR flights.
 
CamYZ125 said:
I forget where I read it recently, but basically what I read said that the old way of dim, then dim some more (which I've always used) is being replaced by a brighter cockpit at night. Supposedly the brighter cockpit would prevent momentary blindness due to a sudden bright flash (lightning, laser, etc.). Of course this was only recommended for airline/IFR flights.
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Thats what ive always done near t-storms and areas of lightning, but bright all the time just plain sucks....
 
Dim until top of climb, then generally the light "OVERRIDE" switch is pressed.

Dark = sleepytime on the ER.
 
CamYZ125 said:
I forget where I read it recently, but basically what I read said that the old way of dim, then dim some more (which I've always used) is being replaced by a brighter cockpit at night. Supposedly the brighter cockpit would prevent momentary blindness due to a sudden bright flash (lightning, laser, etc.). Of course this was only recommended for airline/IFR flights.
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Not really any "new" way of thinking -- that's been the philosophy for years and years when flying near/in lightning.

Bright cockpit lighting does nothing against laser energy.
 
Lighting changes as the stages of flight. Departure and Approach obviously low light settings...but you gotta be kidding me if you wanna sit in an ER in cruise at low light and expect to stay awake, GOOD LUCK! At cruise turn the dome light and everything else on to keep everyone awake.
 
I prefer Army Helicopter mode....unless it's a redeye, then we do whatever we need to do in order to stay wide awake (dome on).
 
Sidious said:
How does that lip light work out for you? What kind do you use?
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I absolutely love it. It has forever changed how I fly at night, since I can just turn my head at what I need to look at, rather than pointing at it with my finger, as I used to have to do with the fingerlights I formerly used.

You're lucky that I happened to still have the packaging stuffed up in my closet, otherwise I would have had no idea what kind it was (it was issued to me).

It is an ML-8 "Mike Lite".

http://www.helicoptersonly.com/index1.html

http://www.rangerjoes.com/mike-lite-p-3347.html

http://www.simflight.com.au/SPS_Mike-lites.htm

I used to use the finger lights for many years, but they are just a pain in the butt sometimes. It's especially a problem getting to switches with my left hand without accidentally touching other switches with that light mounted on top of my finger. One night on the tanker I accidentally hit the flare switch with that damn fingerlight when I was reaching over to close the air refuelling door.

The tanker dudes and my wingman did not appreciate that.
 
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