View Poll Results: Do you fly with the cockpit lights on or off?
Lights on
70
42.94%
Lights off
93
57.06%
Voters: 163. You may not vote on this poll
Cockpit lights on or off?
06-03-2009 | 05:41 PM
#22
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,576
Likes: 0
From: 737 CA
While its fine to stare at the night sky now and then. Doing it every night for years is boring. I used to take star charts, which was cool a few times. After awhile it got boring. The Northern lights can be cool. Most nights you can't see anything anyway. The sky can be black, the ground black, or the moon washes out the stars. Weather? Not at altitude over the North atlantic or the polar routes. Besides, I can see the Radar display with the lights on. 
06-03-2009 | 06:30 PM
#23
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 5,113
Likes: 0
On augmented crews, I think the best set-up is one pilot on rest sleeping soundly in a dark quiet place in the cabin, snoring noisily, drooling happily, and if (s)he wishes, dreaming of scantilly-clad people of the opporite gender. Meanwhile, the other two upfront are kept wide-awake and alert with plenty of artificial light, as they look for long-removed pictures of scantilly-clad pictures of people, of the appropriate gender of course (my airline has an exception to this... some flights operate under the "Three Rules", but that's another story).
It doesn't hurt if the radar is on. That's one I'd like to see more universal emphasis on.
It doesn't hurt if the radar is on. That's one I'd like to see more universal emphasis on.
06-04-2009 | 09:29 AM
#24
Thread Starter
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 292
Likes: 0
While its fine to stare at the night sky now and then. Doing it every night for years is boring. I used to take star charts, which was cool a few times. After awhile it got boring. The Northern lights can be cool. Most nights you can't see anything anyway. The sky can be black, the ground black, or the moon washes out the stars. Weather? Not at altitude over the North atlantic or the polar routes. Besides, I can see the Radar display with the lights on.
06-09-2009 | 01:31 PM
#25
On Reserve
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
I like to see how dark I can make it by turning off every single light source. Milkey Way is awesome. They paid big bucks for George, let him have it for a few minutes. Annoying when the FO takes a drag and the glow is bright.
06-09-2009 | 01:51 PM
#26
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,576
Likes: 0
From: 737 CA
But can you see the other traffic when you get an RA? I'll trust a TCAS RA with my life, but I guess I'm still a little old fashioned in that I also like to see and avoid. While it's not much of an issue on the tracks, I will change my offset when traffic goes by me in the opposite direction to avoid their wake. Turning off the lights at night helps me spot them a little sooner.
06-09-2009 | 04:59 PM
#27
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,196
Likes: 51
From: Legacy FO
There are plenty of aircraft that fly across or against the NATs ... namely the US military. You're betting your life on SLOP and TCAS. The USAF has had a few near misses with airliners on the NATs.
06-09-2009 | 05:46 PM
#29
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,257
Likes: 5
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