Dimming cabin lights during landing and takeoff

[ukkid76]

Hear is one for you all why do airline pilots dim the cabin lights during landing and take off I think I know?????

[Ewood27]

It's only done after dark, and the reason is so that if there should chance to be an emergency requiring passengers to evacuate the aircraft, they will have some night vision and not be blind for a vital couple of minutes. To be pedantic, it's the cabin crew who turn the lights down, not actually the pilots! Is that the reason you were expecting?

[ukkid76]

Yes that is what I was told From a K L M captain, I just wondered what other people may have thought. Thanks

[lisaj]

Easyjet seem to dim them during daylight hours also...

[Ewood27]

Sorry, ukkid, you still haven't got an answer from "other people". I'm a former airline pilot, so both your answers are from professionals. As for Easyjet, maybe it's a subtle way of making passengers quieten down and concentrate during take-off. or perhaps their drill is to dim the lights every time, then they won't be forgotten for night flights.

[ukkid76]

Sorry Ewood27 but my interpretation of 'Other People' would have included the general public and professional aviators alike, thank you for responding to my question.

[Ewood27]

No problem. For the benefit of anyone who's worried by the mere mention of emergencies, in over 30 years of flying I only had to leave an aircraft in any sort of hurry once - and that was in the RAF, a test flight after major servicing. Even then it was because of a false fire warning. I never went down those chutes except for training, and never saw them deployed for real.

I wonder if EasyJet dim the lights so that when they put them back to bright it means, "Right, boys and girls, bar's open!"

[5029]

I asked a friend who is an air hostess and she told me it was the "night vision" reason.

[mikewith]

.... so it's not EasyJet trying to save money?

[Squirrel]

I think I'm missing the point: - wouldn't you have better night vision if they kept the lights on full brightness, or do they put them on an emergency circuit or something?

[Ewood27]

Squirrel, if (which God forbid) you should have to evacuate an aircraft when it's dark outside, you will see better if your eyes are already adapted to low light. Any emergency situation will be made ten times worse if the passengers are stumbling about unable to see.

And no, it's not EasyJet trying to save money! The electricity for the lights comes from the aircraft's own generators run by the engines - otherwise you'd need a heck of a long cable to connect to the mains!

[NickleArse]

nice answer ewood!!

[Squirrel]

Agreed; - thanks Ewood27. I will start forming a pile of things I don't get if you'd be willing to answer them for me!

[Ewood27]

Willing? Yes. Able? Hmm.

[pattie5853]

the reason the lights are dimmed is to make you feel relaxed and stop you feeling panicky just as you are about to land. if you dont believe me just see how you feel next time it happens.