Spare a penny mate? I need a wee.

[BoredBloke]

NO, it is so zat ze Germans cennot see ze aeroplane ven it is landing end taking off; uzzervize zey vould know vere ze British airbase is and could bombard it viz V2 rockets, zereby destroying ze Britishers defences end clearing ze vay for vorld domination!

Chin chin Fritz old bean but I think you should know that we at the royal air force have been tracking your old crates on their way to Blighty. It's only a matter of time before Ginger and Johnny in their Sipts fill your old birds with holes and send you back to Germany with a bloody nose and a damn good thrashing. It's all down to the carrots don't you know! Toodle Pip!

[original PM]

Does anyone happen to know what the deal is with aircraft switching off the passenger cabin lights during take-off and landing? You know, the bit where they tell you there's a personal light above your head if you want to carry on reading, but all the other lights go off.

The answer to this was actually in a Focus magazine (not sure if it was recent).

Apparently it is for safety reasons - it is too let your eyes adjust to the lower lighting levels so in the event of an emergency you can see the emregency lights.

Apparently

[Mich the Tester]

Chin chin Fritz old bean but I think you should know that we at the royal air force have been tracking your old crates on their way to Blighty. It's only a matter of time before Ginger and Johnny in their Sipts fill your old birds with holes and send you back to Germany with a bloody nose and a damn good thrashing. It's all down to the carrots don't you know! Toodle Pip!

You vill submit to our superior firepower! As I speak, our Luftwaffe is preparing our secret veapon to destroy your futile attempts at resistance! Zere vill be no more bluebirds over ze vite cliffs of Dover, only ze phoenix of our sousand year Reich! Heil Merkel!

[Moscow Mule]

<Probably never happened>
Frankfurt ATC: BA101, are you having trouble locating your stand? Have you never been to Frankfurt before
Pilot: Yes, in 1944, but it was dark and I didn't land.
</Probably never happened>

[Moscow Mule]

The answer to this was actually in a Focus magazine (not sure if it was recent).

Apparently it is for safety reasons - it is too let your eyes adjust to the lower lighting levels so in the event of an emergency you can see the emregency lights.

Apparently

I expect it's also to do with not being able to see the full extent of people who aren't going to make it out alive.

[BoredBloke]

Surely turning the lights off is hedging your bets towards the plane not bursting into flames.

[BoredBloke]

You vill submit to our superior firepower! As I speak, our Luftwaffe is preparing our secret veapon to destroy your futile attempts at resistance! Zere vill be no more bluebirds over ze vite cliffs of Dover, only ze phoenix of our sousand year Reich! Heil Merkel!

British Spunk fritzy, British Spunk. i think you'll find that our Royal Air Force is brimming with true great British spunk and your secret weapons will be simply no match for it. As Winnie says, Never have so many owed so much to somebody with a top hat and a large cigar and it's all spunk powered. Lets see how your miricle weopons match up against the tide of British Spunk heading your way. What what!

[dang65]

The answer to this was actually in a Focus magazine (not sure if it was recent).

Apparently it is for safety reasons - it is to let your eyes adjust to the lower lighting levels so in the event of an emergency you can see the emergency lights.

Apparently

Funny how they then give you the option to use very bright reading lights if you want to, thus completely negating the effect for you and at least six other people around you.

Also, if the main lights suddenly go out then you don't need to get used to the dark before you can see emergency lights, as they are lights.

I think what's happened is that Lufthansa have spent about three seconds thinking about this and then chucked it in the bin, while BA, Flybe, Ryan Air etc have gone, "Uh oh, someone could sue us for this in the incredibly unlikely event of a plane crashing, the lights going out, the person having such poor eyesight that they can't adjust to the dark well enough to be able to see bright green flashing LEDs on the floor in front of them, and they end up getting injured somehow before they finally get out. Better switch the cabin lights off every time we take off and land then, that makes very good sense."

[Mich the Tester]

British Spunk fritzy, British Spunk. i think you'll find that our Royal Air Force is brimming with true great British spunk and your secret weapons will be simply no match for it. As Winnie says, Never have so many owed so much to somebody with a top hat and a large cigar and it's all spunk powered. Lets see how your miricle weopons match up against the tide of British Spunk heading your way. What what!

Ve hev menny fine German porn starlets ready and villing to soak up your british spunk end zey vill enjoy it too!

[original PM]

Funny how they then give you the option to use very bright reading lights if you want to, thus completely negating the effect for you and at least six other people around you.

Also, if the main lights suddenly go out then you don't need to get used to the dark before you can see emergency lights, as they are lights.

I think what's happened is that Lufthansa have spent about three seconds thinking about this and then chucked it in the bin, while BA, Flybe, Ryan Air etc have gone, "Uh oh, someone could sue us for this in the incredibly unlikely event of a plane crashing, the lights going out, the person having such poor eyesight that they can't adjust to the dark well enough to be able to see bright green flashing LEDs on the floor in front of them, and they end up getting injured somehow before they finally get out. Better switch the cabin lights off every time we take off and land then, that makes very good sense."

I also thought that - I think I will double check the magazine when I am crimping one off later.