A aviation & planes forum. AviationBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » AviationBanter forum » rec.aviation newsgroups » Instrument Flight Rules
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

backup cockpit lighting



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #21  
Old December 22nd 04, 11:09 PM
Matt Whiting
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Stan Gosnell wrote:

"Stan Prevost" wrote in
:


My own experience is that red works well for me except on sectionals.
Some of the red lamps I use are a little brighter than I would like
but I don't find that they mess up my adaption even when falling
directly on my face briefly. White light does mess me up unless it is
very dim. I haven't used other colors. I keep a little white Photon
microlight handy for looking at sectionals when needed, but it does
mess up my vision because it is so bright.



One problem for me with red light is that I have about a dozen gauges
with red lines and red areas. Red light doesn't help much in seeing
these. If the instrument lights fail and I have to rely on my own light,
red ain't gonna cut it, because there is likely to be lots of stuff going
on, and I need to know if I'm approaching limits on the engines, RPM,
torque, oil temps and pressures, hydraulic systems, and everything else.
I need to be able to see at a glance where the needles are in relation to
the redlines. If red is adequate in your aircraft, then use whatever
works for you. I've tried red, and don't like it.


Same here and I like it less every year since I turned 40! :-)


Matt

  #22  
Old December 22nd 04, 11:30 PM
Jeremy Lew
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I may be imagining this, since I can't find one now, but I could have sworn
I have seen some NACO approach plate PDFs which have terrain features in
some shade of brown.

In any case, the Jeppesen low altitude enroute charts certainly have colors.

"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...
This is an IFR newsgroup, and I assume that everyone is using
black-and-white charts.



  #23  
Old December 26th 04, 06:40 AM
Jack Allison
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Since I'm a new instrument student, I can't comment on IFR at
night...but, having done a fair amount of VFR night flying, I've found
S-Lite's version of the lip light (can't remember the name at the
moment, has four LEDs, you can choose which color you like) to work
well. I went with green and like the results. Based on Bob's comments,
however, I'll have to look at my brand new Jepp charts to see how they
look under the green light. This unit isn't cheap (was last year's
Christmas present) and the battery case has no cover, something I need
to permanently fix. At the moment I use one of those velcro cord wraps
around it. The LED brightness can be controlled and you can select
between the single spot LED, three "flood" LEDs, or all. I find the
"flood" setting works well.

I also carry two flashlights in my bag, a 2-D cell maglight for
preflight and a 2-AA cell maglight for pre-engine start stuff in the
cockpit (could use my lip light but I don't put my headset on until
after engine start and the avionics master comes on).

Jack Allison
PP-ASEL, instrument student
  #24  
Old December 26th 04, 09:34 AM
Stan Gosnell
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Jack Allison wrote in
ink.net:

Since I'm a new instrument student, I can't comment on IFR at
night...but, having done a fair amount of VFR night flying, I've found
S-Lite's version of the lip light (can't remember the name at the
moment, has four LEDs, you can choose which color you like) to work
well. I went with green and like the results. Based on Bob's
comments, however, I'll have to look at my brand new Jepp charts to
see how they look under the green light.


The Jepp charts are very readable under green light, not so good under
red. Blue ink under red light washes out, but under green it appears
black. I haven't found a color except for green that isn't very visible
using green light.

--
Regards,

Stan
  #25  
Old December 27th 04, 04:03 PM
Ron Natalie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Stan Gosnell wrote:


The Jepp charts are very readable under green light, not so good under
red. Blue ink under red light washes out, but under green it appears
black. I haven't found a color except for green that isn't very visible
using green light.


The major key to map visibility and not ruining your night vision isn't
so much color as DIM. Oddly, the best and handiest source I've found
for reading charts at night is to use the backlight from my portable GPS
as the map light. It makes a large area, dim illumination that doesn't
mess up the colors.
  #26  
Old December 27th 04, 10:48 PM
Mitty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 12/27/04 9:03 AM, Ron Natalie wrote the following:
Stan Gosnell wrote:


The Jepp charts are very readable under green light, not so good under
red. Blue ink under red light washes out, but under green it appears
black. I haven't found a color except for green that isn't very visible
using green light.



The major key to map visibility and not ruining your night vision isn't
so much color as DIM. Oddly, the best and handiest source I've found
for reading charts at night is to use the backlight from my portable GPS
as the map light. It makes a large area, dim illumination that doesn't
mess up the colors.


Here is a pretty good flashlight for reading charts where you want white light:

http://members.cox.net/rigelsys/rigelsys.html

I have the red/white "Skylight" version and it is completely dim-able down to
zero light. It is not as bright as you might want for outdoor walking path
lighting, but either color is bright enough for anything you might need to do in
the cockpit.

Sporty's sells it too.
  #27  
Old December 29th 04, 12:54 AM
Roger
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 21:48:49 GMT, Mitty wrote:

On 12/27/04 9:03 AM, Ron Natalie wrote the following:
Stan Gosnell wrote:


The Jepp charts are very readable under green light, not so good under
red. Blue ink under red light washes out, but under green it appears
black. I haven't found a color except for green that isn't very visible
using green light.



The major key to map visibility and not ruining your night vision isn't
so much color as DIM. Oddly, the best and handiest source I've found
for reading charts at night is to use the backlight from my portable GPS
as the map light. It makes a large area, dim illumination that doesn't
mess up the colors.


Here is a pretty good flashlight for reading charts where you want white light:

http://members.cox.net/rigelsys/rigelsys.html

I have the red/white "Skylight" version and it is completely dim-able down to
zero light. It is not as bright as you might want for outdoor walking path
lighting, but either color is bright enough for anything you might need to do in
the cockpit.

I have a little "RayOVac" (TM) blue, single LED flashlight. Although
it looks bulky, it's very light and comes with a clip that works on
the bill of a cap. It runs off three AAA batteries with an advertised
life of 200 hours.

I've worn it on IFR night flights of nearly 3 hours and it was always
comfortable.

Cheap too. As I recall it ran around $14 or $17 dollars.

Of course with the lighting in the Deb (and most old planes) that is
the primary lighting while a good flashlight can be the secondary.
I typically carry two with one being a 2 cell "mag light" and one
being a 3 cell "Mag Light". Not much good for cockpit lighting, but
it sure works around the airport. If it didn't reflect so much inside
the darn thing would make a good landing light. :-))

When all else fails you can use one of the big lights by putting your
hand over the lens and letting the light leak through your fingers.
It's dim and it's red. Just don't let the white light shine through
or you really will be on instruments until your night vision comes
back.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Sporty's sells it too.


  #28  
Old December 29th 04, 10:03 PM
Stan Gosnell
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Roger wrote in
news
I typically carry two with one being a 2 cell "mag light" and one
being a 3 cell "Mag Light". Not much good for cockpit lighting, but
it sure works around the airport. If it didn't reflect so much inside
the darn thing would make a good landing light. :-))


If you want bright (and reliability) get one of the LED replacement bulbs
for the MagLights. The Luxeon LEDs actually put out more light than
Krypton bulbs, and last for many, many years, typically over 100,000
hours of use. I had given up on MagLights because of reliability issues,
but with the improvements in LED technology, I think they're worth a
look. LEDs work very well for me for preflights, because they make it
easier to see the oil levels in sight gauges. A thin layer of dim yellow
oil can be hard to see with a relatively yellow light, but the LED light
makes it stand out very well. I will never buy another incandescent
bulb, not for flashlights or for my house. They've been overtaken by
technology, and are too expensive and wasteful for continued use.

--
Regards,

Stan
  #29  
Old December 29th 04, 11:24 PM
Foster
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Agree on the LED conversion of the mini-Mag. I replaced the bulbs with
the TerraLUX MiniStar 2. I also got pyrex lenses to replace the too soft
plastic ones.

Another option, the Inova 24/7. It's multi functioned with low and high
intensity white and a pretty bright red. It also has several signal
modes that are more useful when earth bound. It uses a 123 lithium cell
- which are obscenely expensive if you buy them in a store, but can be
gotten almost as reasonably as AAs online. They have a long shelf life,
last forever with an LED and are lighter than AAs.

JJF

Stan Gosnell wrote:
Roger wrote in
news

I typically carry two with one being a 2 cell "mag light" and one
being a 3 cell "Mag Light". Not much good for cockpit lighting, but
it sure works around the airport. If it didn't reflect so much inside
the darn thing would make a good landing light. :-))



If you want bright (and reliability) get one of the LED replacement bulbs
for the MagLights. The Luxeon LEDs actually put out more light than
Krypton bulbs, and last for many, many years, typically over 100,000
hours of use. I had given up on MagLights because of reliability issues,
but with the improvements in LED technology, I think they're worth a
look. LEDs work very well for me for preflights, because they make it
easier to see the oil levels in sight gauges. A thin layer of dim yellow
oil can be hard to see with a relatively yellow light, but the LED light
makes it stand out very well. I will never buy another incandescent
bulb, not for flashlights or for my house. They've been overtaken by
technology, and are too expensive and wasteful for continued use.

  #30  
Old December 29th 04, 11:42 PM
Blanche
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Got a product number or something for the Luxeon bulb that
fits into the MagLite?

thanks

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Backup plates on PDA Stan Prevost Instrument Flight Rules 29 December 10th 04 03:42 AM
Cockpit Lighting Controller Richard Home Built 0 April 8th 04 07:12 AM
Panel lighting Corky Scott Home Built 5 March 6th 04 01:22 AM
Good AI backup, wish me luck Robert M. Gary Instrument Flight Rules 29 March 1st 04 06:36 PM
Solid State Backup AI Dan Truesdell Instrument Flight Rules 20 January 15th 04 10:53 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:26 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 AviationBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.