Some time ago I heard a great statement. The person said "The bedroom is for bed stuff, not reading, watching TV or lying awake, if you can't sleep leave until you can." Now when an idea comes to my mind and I can't sleep rather than tossing and turning until my wife leaves the room, I get up and go read or write.
Since this is going to be a busy week for me, I decided to get my weekly blog posting done for our company blog. It was easy enough the topic was already planned I just had to write. As I passed through the kitchen I decided I should get some water to take with me. There were some little green lights on the front of the refrigerator and I started pressing them. None of them were the night light. So I clanked some glasses and felt my way around to the water dispenser hoping not to wake my wife. I did.
Walking upstairs to my wife's office with my water and laptop, I realized we never had that problem at night flying airplanes. Then I looked into my guest bathroom and it hit me. Night lights. Not the plug in kind, but the reverse type. Upstairs all of the main light switches for the bathrooms and bedrooms have very dim lights that glow at night. When you enter a dark room, you never have to fumble for a switch, you can always see them.
The 737 is the same way. There is a switch jokingly called "the backwards switch". In aviation most switches light up when you turn them on so that you know the system or circuit is operational. If you flip on the window heat switch and the light doesn't come on then either:
1. It is to hot for window heat (about 90 degrees F)
2. The circuit breaker popped
3. The light bulb is out
4. The system isn't working.
In order to have window heat, you need all of the first three items, and failure of any one will look like a failure of the system and warrant further inspection.
Since aviation is so unforgiving, multiple level safeguards like this exist for just about every switch or system except one. That one exception is the switch for the basic service power in the back of the airplane. At night when the cleaning crews get on or first thing in the morning when it is still dark and the pilots get on to start the day, this switch is illuminated. When you walk into a totally dark airplane there is one dim little light, press the light and viola! No fumbling around the multi-million dollar airplane and breaking things.
Why can't my refrigerator do that for the night light? What "backwards switch" would make sense for you?
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