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04 Feb 04 - 01:23 PM (#1109280) Subject: BS: Lights in planes From: John-S Does anyone know why the lights in planes are turned off for take-off and landing ? |
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04 Feb 04 - 01:31 PM (#1109289) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: MudGuard In case of an accident - when the lights might fail - your eyes should be used to reduced light already. That's what a stewardess told me when I asked her that question... |
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04 Feb 04 - 01:40 PM (#1109297) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Clinton Hammond Wow... that's neat... :-) |
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04 Feb 04 - 02:16 PM (#1109332) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Dead Horse To keep you in the dark? Although I do beleive it's because the plane needs every last bit of available energy to git off da ground. Dunno 'bout comin' in tho? |
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04 Feb 04 - 05:56 PM (#1109497) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Cluin Because a dark plane is lighter in weight than a lighted one. The darksuckers weigh more when operational. Airplane technology allows the charge of the darksuckers to be dumped outside the plane prior to takeoff. |
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04 Feb 04 - 06:21 PM (#1109511) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Amos BS indeed. It is probably also to minimize loss of night vision in stewards/esses/ A |
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04 Feb 04 - 07:07 PM (#1109550) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: The Fooles Troupe The more electrical circuits with current in them, the more chance of sparks when the plane crashes and breaks into tiny pieces, spraying flammable fuel everywhere... |
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04 Feb 04 - 07:18 PM (#1109557) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: GUEST,ClaireBear I'm sure I've been on at least one flight during which I was asked to close my window screen for landing. I quite resented it, never having seen London from the air... |
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04 Feb 04 - 10:46 PM (#1109680) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: freightdawg In case of an accident the explosion and related fires are going to pretty much destroy anyone's night visioin, passenger or flight attendant. If there is no explosion or fires and electrical power is still available, the lights would come up for emergency exits. If no electrical power is available, the flight attendants have plenty of high power flashlights readily available. The real answer has already been given. When departing or landing a flight crew switches the plane's electrical source from the engines (turning generators) to an auxilliary power unit (usually located in the tail). The reason being is that if an engine fails during the most critical phases of flight you do not want the remaining engines to be burdened with generating (mostly) extraneous electricity. However, the APU is much smaller than the combined electrical output of the engines, so electrical demands are reduced somewhat. In smaller planes the pilots do not want the glare to affect their forward vision (obviously not a problem in a closed and locked cockpit.) There are probably other reasons (dim lights tend to subdue the passengers somewhat, I have noticed) but mostly it is due to the reduced electrical capacity during the critical phases of flight. Having you close your window screen is a new one for me. Sounds like a cranky flight attendant, or maybe the sun was shining is someone's face. (kind of tricky at night, though) Freightdawg |
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04 Feb 04 - 11:06 PM (#1109688) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Amos I think freightdawg's explanation is persuasive. A |
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04 Feb 04 - 11:27 PM (#1109697) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: freightdawg Oops, forgot to mention that it is during takeoff and landing that the electrical load is the greatest. Those landing lights that you can see for 10 miles (required day and night) require a lot of juice. Also, extending, and retracting all the flaps and landing gear also puts a load on the electrical system, although the actual heavy lifting is usually done by hydraulic pressure. Just happens to be down my alley so-to-speak. I fly airplanes for a living, although considerably smaller ones than the ones most commonly used for passenger service. Woof. |
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05 Feb 04 - 04:10 AM (#1109775) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: DMcG On my last three flights at least, with different carriers, we were asked to close the window blinds during take-off and landing "because of regulations." |
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05 Feb 04 - 12:16 PM (#1110037) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Ebbie I like 'darksuckers'. I just wish there were a shorter name for them. They are equivalent to air conditioning units, usually written as AC. Should darksuckers be DSes? The longer this earth rolls with me on it, the more I learn... |
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05 Feb 04 - 12:25 PM (#1110047) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Dr Will C U Now It also helps if you cant see the trickle of water running down the Steward(ess)s legs during "slight technical problems" |
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05 Feb 04 - 11:48 PM (#1110459) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Shanghaiceltic Once flew on internal flights in Russia on an old Yak aircraft. Bumpy take off resulted in light fittings falling out. So no need to turn them off on landing. However a change of underwear was required ! |
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06 Feb 04 - 04:44 AM (#1110557) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Liz the Squeak I really resented being asked to close my blind during a day flight, when they show the movie. From what I could see, it was a typical French movie (boy falls for girl, girl falls for other girl, boy commits suicide, girl doesn't give a shit) that no-one was watching or could understand anyway. Most of them were watching through closed eyelids (well, we'd taken off at about 6.00am local time!) and I wanted to finish a drawing I'd done at the airport. And I wanted to see the view, all those beautiful turquoise islands set in a lapis sea..... bastard stewardesses made me shut the blinds! LTS |
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06 Feb 04 - 07:53 AM (#1110645) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: GUEST,Strollin' Johnny Liz, I asked for a window seat on a daytime flight Gatwick to Houston TX, so I could see Greenland/Labrador/Great Lakes etc. No chance - all taken. Bastard! So the young lady in the window-seat next to me closes the blind before take-off, refuses my polite request to swap seats once we were in the air, reads, clicks the buttons on her laptop or sleeps through the whole flight, and opens the blind approximately 10 seconds before touch-down in Houston. Nearly 700 quid to look at the back of the seat in front for ten hours! If she didn't want to look out of the bloody window, why take a window seat??? Grrrrrrrr! Nothing to do with this thread really, just having a moan. Johnny |
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06 Feb 04 - 09:40 AM (#1110727) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: Liz the Squeak I'd've read her documents over her shoulder and pointed out spelling and grammatical errors, but I do that anywhere! I think I prefer the Easyjet 'no booked seat' policy, but it can be a bit awkward for less abled passengers who can't get able bodied people out of the sensible seats that have leg room. LTS |
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06 Feb 04 - 09:57 AM (#1110738) Subject: RE: BS: Lights in planes From: MudGuard Tell that to catsPHiddle, Liz! She nearly didn't fly home from Belfast... |