Cockpit Lighting Choices

In recent years, theres been a move away from using red-colored lighting to illuminate cockpits, often in favor of low-intensity greenish-blue light. The reasons are numerous, but boil down to the fact rods in our retinas are most sensitive to that green/blue wavelength. But thats not the whole story.

Editorial Staff

Friday, September 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Modern cockpits are shifting from red to low-intensity greenish-blue lighting, aiming to leverage rod sensitivity for low light while balancing cone acuity for details, though green/blue light must be kept at very low levels to avoid interfering with night vision.
The article advocates for red cockpit lighting because rods are relatively insensitive to red, preventing saturation and better preserving a pilot's dark adaptation for viewing objects outside the cockpit.
Regardless of the color choice, maintaining minimal light intensity and carefully managing other bright sources (like moving maps or reading lights) is crucial for preserving night vision during flights.

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In recent years, there’s been a move away from using red-colored lighting to illuminate cockpits, often in favor of low-intensity greenish-blue light. The reasons are numerous, but boil down to the fact rods in our retinas are most sensitive to that green/blue wavelength. But that’s not the whole story.

The rods are most efficient at low light settings, but aren’t very good at distinguishing colors or details, like instrument readings. In addition to being most sensitive to the greenish-blue wavelength, they are relatively insensitive to red. Conveniently, cones are most sensitive to green light, and the green/blue colors attempt to strike a balance between the rods’ low-light sensitivity and the cones’ acuity. As long as the green/blue light is at a low intensity, using it can help preserve our ability to read the instruments.