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  • Why do they dim the lights on planes when landing?
  • WorldClassAccident
    Free Member

    They turn out the main cabin lights when a plane is coming in to land at night. I was wondering why. I guess something to do with safety but what?

    pomona
    Free Member

    So in the event of an incident your eyes are already accustomed to the dark and you'll be better able to escape.

    boxelder
    Full Member

    cos otherwise the plane would be too light to get down out of the sky?
    Confuses view of other light signals?

    PeterPoddy
    Free Member

    Because they need the electricity to run the conveyor belt.

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    Something to do with being able to see outside in case there are any emergencies like bits falling off? Engines on fire or something?

    I don't know but I'm liking the 'too light to land' reason best!

    Munqe-chick
    Free Member

    Something like DickBarton said so they can see in if the plane is on fire. It's like putting the backs of chairs up straight, it doesn't make any difference they just like the power of it!

    TooTall
    Free Member

    Diverts max power to flight and engine systems during most critical part of flight – ie taking off and landing.

    Andy-R
    Full Member

    It's what Pomona said – so that your eyes are more accustomed to lower light levels, which might give you a better chance of coping with the lights failing totally if there's an emergency.

    rOcKeTdOg
    Full Member

    so they can power the " wheels down" motors

    IanMunro
    Free Member

    So you can't see the fear in the cabin crew faces.

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    That being the case the whole flight should be in darkness…

    Andy-R
    Full Member

    I often wish that night flights were – or at least with only the little switchable overhead lights.
    I hate all that really bright lighting.

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    Isn't it so no-one can see it to shoot it down?

    NWAlpsJeyerakaBoz
    Free Member

    Diverts max power to flight and engine systems during most critical part of flight – ie taking off and landing.

    Yeah, the power taken off those 4 Rolls Royce jet engines to light the cabin with led lights is immense… 😉

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    Pomona +1

    piedidiformaggio
    Free Member

    What are these 'plabes' you speak of?

    Oh, and +1 for AndyR

    theotherjonv
    Full Member

    what Pomona said.

    Seat backs up, trays away, bags in lockers, etc. are all so they don't get in the way if you need to disembark in a rush.

    My mate flies 777s for a living. When I've flown with him (him as a passenger) it's a real eye opener how seriously he takes inflight safety. He knows exactly where the exits are, how many rows forward and back to the nearest exits in case he can't see them so he can count them with his hands.

    clubber
    Free Member

    It's to help chill everyone out so that the panic when the plane crashes is less 🙂

    dmiller
    Free Member

    My mate flies 777s for a living. When I've flown with him (him as a passenger) it's a real eye opener how seriously he takes inflight safety. He knows exactly where the exits are, how many rows forward and back to the nearest exits in case he can't see them so he can count them with his hands.

    Well that's re-assuring to know…

    z1ppy
    Full Member

    so they can see in to the plane

    +1, the same reason they make you open the window screens (curtains) on landing.

    My mate flies 777s for a living. When I've flown with him (him as a passenger) it's a real eye opener how seriously he takes inflight safety.

    Odd, as my brother has been a steward for the last 14 years or so, he doesn't take safety too seriously, reckon you m8 just doesn't like flying
    (if your falling out of the sky, there little point in worry about getting out of the plane the majority of the time)

    br
    Free Member

    Whenever I fly (took over fifty return flights one year…), I always on take-off/landing take a look around at exits and obstacles – including fat/old people, just as a precaution.

    Doesn't everyone do that?

    algarvebairn
    Free Member

    You are told to adopt the brace position to protect your teeth so that you can be indentified by dental records. Apparently.

    david_r
    Free Member

    As above, its for your eyes to get used to the dark in case you need to get off pronto.

    However from watching movies, we all know planes are engulfed in a massive aviation fuel fireball! so I'm guessing that if you're sat in the middle of that, everything might be extremely well illuminated.

    These aviation safety experts don't really think these things through, do they….[tut]

    ski
    Free Member

    He knows exactly where the exits are, how many rows forward and back to the nearest exits in case he can't see them so he can count them with his hands.

    Whenever I fly, I do this now, because…..

    Flying on a internal flight in Africa on a deadly old prop. plane, as a 18 year old backpacker(some 23+ years ago!).

    Had the very good fortune to survive a plane fire, plane diverted and landed hard, plane filled up with black smoke very quickly, which was blinding painful to the eyes as well as choking, all the air crew fled, leaving the passengers/sheep/goats to fend for themselves!

    Not funny at the time…..but I am still here 😉

    WorldClassAccident
    Free Member

    Cool. I will share this knowledge with the nervous person who always seems to sit next to me.

    marsdenman
    Free Member

    So you can't see the fear in the cabin crew faces.

    LOL – arriving back in M'cr a couple of years ago, me and MrsMM in 'emergency aisle' seats, facing 2 crew…
    we're drifting down the runway, still not on the ground, level with terminal buildings, which I know to be a loooong way down the runway. I'm seriously starting to wonder just when, or if, we're about touch down when one of the crew looks up from her conversation, sees what I see and blurts 'OH SH*T'…
    "Funny that' says I, 'i was just thinking the same thing' 😉

    TimS
    Free Member

    Cool. I will share this knowledge with the nervous person who always seems to sit next to me

    You might also like to share the facts that:
    a) The wings on a jumbo jet flex by about a metre on take-off as they take the weight of the plane, and
    b) The gasses in the engine are hot enough to melt the engine fan blades should they come into contact with it. It's only a thin film of cool air that's squirted out through nozzles in the fan blade which prevents this from happening.

    GJP
    Free Member

    It is what pomona said in the first post. I work for a airline and next month I may end up being cabin crew 😆

    grumm
    Free Member

    You might also like to share the facts that:
    a) The wings on a jumbo jet flex by about a metre on take-off as they take the weight of the plane, and
    b) The gasses in the engine are hot enough to melt the engine fan blades should they come into contact with it. It's only a thin film of cool air that's squirted out through nozzles in the fan blade which prevents this from happening.

    Hehe – thanks for that. 😕

    Stu_N
    Full Member

    GJP – Member

    It is what pomona said in the first post. I work for a airline and next month I may end up being cabin crew

    I'm quite looking forward to Willie Walsh bringing me a G&T next time I fly BA. 🙂

    scuttler
    Full Member

    Regarding the wing flex thing check out http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/boeing-wing-test-p1.php. Skip to 1 minute 50 seconds to see something meaningful plus some a-whoopin-and-a-hollerin.

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    Had the very good fortune to survive a plane fire…….all the air crew fled, leaving the passengers/sheep/goats to fend for themselves!

    I think I would probably have made the decision to evacuate the plane before take-off

    ………..as the sheep and goats were embarking.

    chunkypaul
    Free Member

    tails
    Free Member

    (if your falling out of the sky, there little point in worry about getting out of the plane the majority of the time)

    more people survive plane crashes than don't, you just hear about the air france type crashes.

    tails
    Free Member

    scuttler, i don't ever want reach 154.

    duntmatter
    Free Member

    my brother has been a steward for the last 14 years or so, he doesn't take safety too seriously

    Yeah. Right.

    oxnop
    Free Member

    I was out last night with a few mates and a friends sister and dad fly for BA- she was telling me a story about a pilot who was sacked as when he was landing somewhere like ?marakesh? he said to the passenges – " we have arrived at marakesh airport(?) if we all want to turn back our watches a few thousand years" LOL

    I didn't ask about the light thing though!

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    WorldClassAccident – Member

    Cool. I will share this knowledge with the nervous person who always seems to sit next to me.

    If I was sitting next to you on a plane given your record and name I would be nervous as well – very nervous

    Flaperon
    Full Member

    Similar thing on easyJet – "We're now flying overhead Liverpool so don't forget to hang on to your wallets…"

    Load of uproar but I think he actually got commended by the company.

    soulrider
    Free Member

    When Flying I always try and sit near the back

    well have you ever heard of an aeroplane reversing into a Mountain?

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