Aircraft Interior Lighting Systems

There are two different dimensions to aircraft interior lighting. These comprise the micro and the macro aspects. Micro level concerns involve, for example, the following: individual lighting requirements, lighting design options, user technique, and lighting system evaluation. In contrast, the macro aspect relates to system design considerations. These may include aircraft system and operator performance requirements, as well as lighting component integration. Of these concerns, the most important is the operator performance requirement. In general aviation, roughly half of all fatal accidents occur at night ("Facts," 1991, p. 6). Clearly, cockpit lighting systems must be "usable to the pilot, must provide readability of all lighting conditions, and must be compatible with other displays, operations, or environments (Schmickley, 1992, p. 1)."

At the present time, aircraft display and lighting technologies are rapidly evolving. First generation cockpits employed simple, round dials. In contrast, the current se

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g is as follows: (1) red for "danger;" (2) yellow for "caution;" (3) green and blue for "desirable;" and (4) no marking for "inefficient (Schmickley, 1992, pp. 10-11)." More recently, cathode ray tube (CRT) displays have offered an entire range of color-coding possibilities. Current CRTs are capable of generating nearly every visible color. Of course, normal discrimination is limited to about 10 colors; moreover, in conditions of low luminance, discrimination may be reduced to about 6 different colors. Potential uses for color CRTs include "symbol sets, grouped sets, condition changes, and alerting functions (Schmickley, 1992, pp. 10-11)." Unfortunately though, because of their high contrast requirements, commercial CRTs cannot always be used in aircraft applications. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs), however, are beginning to replace analog gauges in both military and civilian aircraft applications. Nighttime LCD readability is typically provided by back lighting. This form of illumination involves light source placement within the instrument, behind the dial face; hence, all the dial numerals and marking which would normally be white on a black background are "transilluminated (Schmickley, 1992, p. 5)." One significa
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Approximate Word count = 2820
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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