T8KE0FF From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2009, 400 posts, RR: 1 Posted (10 months 3 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 7708 times:
I was browsing around YouTube when I came across this video. At 8:11 it mentions "The mood enhanced by lighting; that can be changed from the pale pink of dawn, through all the variations to the dark blue at night". Does this mean that the natural colour/light from the sky outside floods in through the windows, or did they have mood lighting lighting similar to that on some aircraft today?
AirCanada787 From Canada, joined Nov 2010, 260 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (10 months 3 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 7388 times:
Quoting T8KE0FF (Thread starter): did they have mood lighting lighting similar to that on some aircraft today?
Modern mood lighting uses LEDs which were only invented in 1962 and were originally very very expensive. I also just noticed that the video has a date of 1958 which pre-dates the invention of LEDs all together. I would assume then that maybe they had a system of various coloured light bulbs and would turn on specific sets of lights to set the 'mood'. So the light wouldn't have probably changed gradually as they do now with LEDs.
I of course could be completely wrong. Hopefully someone has more information, the idea that they had mood lighting back then is interesting.
Thanks for posting the video!
[Edited 2012-06-30 15:17:12]
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northstardc4m From Canada, joined Apr 2000, 2804 posts, RR: 40 Reply 2, posted (10 months 3 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 7196 times:
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Considering it is basically a Pan Am propaganda piece, it could mean something as simple as dimmer switch controlled cabin lights, or just shutting them off in sets?
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Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21481 posts, RR: 24 Reply 3, posted (10 months 3 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 7169 times:
Quoting northstardc4m (Reply 4): Considering it is basically a Pan Am propaganda piece, it could mean something as simple as dimmer switch controlled cabin lights, or just shutting them off in sets?
As I recall, it was just different colored fluorescent tubes in the overhead lighting panels. When they dimmed the main cabin lights at night, the overhead lights could be changed from the usual white to a much lower-intensity blue or pink (forget which). Probably 2 sets of tubes in the lighting fixtures.
1337Delta764 From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 5759 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (10 months 3 weeks 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 7148 times:
Quoting AirCanada787 (Reply 3): Modern mood lighting uses LEDs which were only invented in 1962 and were originally very very expensive. I also just noticed that the video has a date of 1958 which pre-dates the invention of LEDs all together. I would assume then that maybe they had a system of various coloured light bulbs and would turn on specific sets of lights to set the 'mood'. So the light wouldn't have probably changed gradually as they do now with LEDs.
Plus, initially in 1962, red was the only color of LED available. Sometime in the 1970s, amber and green LEDs became available, although the green was more of a yellowish-green instead of the pure green that is required for RGB LED displays. Pure green LEDs didn't come until the 1990s, alongside blue and white LEDs. More recently pink and purple LEDs have been introduced, although there are known issues with many of them fading to blue or white.
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ghifty From United States of America, joined Jul 2010, 758 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (10 months 3 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 6996 times:
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 5): As I recall, it was just different colored fluorescent tubes in the overhead lighting panels. When they dimmed the main cabin lights at night, the overhead lights could be changed from the usual white to a much lower-intensity blue or pink (forget which). Probably 2 sets of tubes in the lighting fixtures.
I'm sure it wasn't only Pan Am.
So then how could it be gradual? I think the video just refers to the change in lighting outside..
cliffak From Sweden, joined Aug 2011, 75 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (10 months 3 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 5899 times:
Quoting 1337Delta764 (Reply 6): Plus, initially in 1962, red was the only color of LED available. Sometime in the 1970s, amber and green LEDs became available, although the green was more of a yellowish-green instead of the pure green that is required for RGB LED displays. Pure green LEDs didn't come until the 1990s, alongside blue and white LEDs. More recently pink and purple LEDs have been introduced, although there are known issues with many of them fading to blue or white.
The blue/white/pure green galluim nitride based LEDs we take for granted today were introduced commercially some time after 2000 (at least I don't remember seeing them in the late 1990s, and if available they were very expensive). Before GaN, the only blue LEDs available were based on silicon carbide (SiC), had comparatively poor performance and were barely bright enough for use as indicators. While there were RGB LEDs based on SiC blue and the "old" type green they would have been little more than expensive toys because of brightness and color purity issues.
To put this in perspective, RGB LED strips of the type suitable for mood lighting run about $30/5 m these days. The prices have certainly dropped..
PA110 From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 1950 posts, RR: 26 Reply 7, posted (10 months 3 weeks 4 days ago) and read 5181 times:
Having traveled extensively on Pan Am 707s, I can assure you there was no mood lighting such as we know it now. Unlike the propeller era, 707s was one of the earliest aircraft to introduce zoned lighting (sidewall lighting vs ceiling lighting). Most likely, this is pure 1960s marketing spin.
T8KE0FF From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2009, 400 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (10 months 3 weeks 4 days ago) and read 4830 times:
Quoting PA110 (Reply 9): Having traveled extensively on Pan Am 707s, I can assure you there was no mood lighting such as we know it now. Unlike the propeller era, 707s was one of the earliest aircraft to introduce zoned lighting (sidewall lighting vs ceiling lighting). Most likely, this is pure 1960s marketing spin.
Just what I was looking for, thank you very much!
Quoting poLOT (Reply 10): It's a marketing film, it is going to embellish. You will also find many talking about how whisper quiet the 707 and 727 are.
WarmNuts From United States of America, joined May 2006, 92 posts, RR: 4 Reply 12, posted (10 months 3 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 3368 times:
Quoting T8KE0FF (Thread starter): "The mood enhanced by lighting; that can be changed from the pale pink of dawn, through all the variations to the dark blue at night"
To adjust your mood lighting (in 1958), open window shade and rotate planet clockwise.
DC8FriendShip From United States of America, joined Apr 2005, 242 posts, RR: 3 Reply 14, posted (10 months 3 weeks 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 3216 times:
Quoting poLOT (Reply 10):
It's a marketing film, it is going to embellish. You will also find many talking about how whisper quiet the 707 and 727 are
They were qiuet in the cabin compared to a turboprop. They didn't consider outside noise at that time.
ExL10Mktg From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 32 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (10 months 3 weeks 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 1816 times:
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Quoting PA110 (Reply 7): Having traveled extensively on Pan Am 707s, I can assure you there was no mood lighting such as we know it now. Unlike the propeller era, 707s was one of the earliest aircraft to introduce zoned lighting (sidewall lighting vs ceiling lighting). Most likely, this is pure 1960s marketing spin.
I don't think it's pure marketing spin. The normal cabin lighting before and during the meal service on an overnight flight was the traditional white fluorescent sidewall and ceiling lighting. Afterwards the lights were switched off essentially and the oval ceiling cutouts had blue fluorescent lights lit invisibly from the side and the center of the oval had backlit pinholes creating the illusion that we had a couple of giant oval windows looking up into the star-filled night sky. It was very cool for 1958 and actually is not bad even by today's standards.
Quoting DC8FriendShip (Reply 14):
Quoting poLOT (Reply 10):
It's a marketing film, it is going to embellish. You will also find many talking about how whisper quiet the 707 and 727 are
They were qiuet in the cabin compared to a turboprop. They didn't consider outside noise at that time.
Forget the turboprops! Unless you happened to catch a BOAC Britania across the Atlantic, the immediate predecessor to the 707 was the DC-6/7 or the Super Constellation and I can assure you the difference in noise and especially vibration was nothing short of revolutionary. I remember having to shout and use hand signals from the window seat on a Connie to communicate with the stewardess (that is what they were called then!) Check out this clip and turn your speakers ALL the way up and you will have SOME idea of the noise factor (and remember you're only hearing two of the four engines and none of the vibration which you could both hear and feel.)
hiflyer From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 2118 posts, RR: 4 Reply 16, posted (10 months 3 weeks 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 1244 times:
Quoting ExL10Mktg (Reply 15): the oval ceiling cutouts had blue fluorescent lights lit invisibly from the side and the center of the oval had backlit pinholes creating the illusion that we had a couple of giant oval windows looking up into the star-filled night sky.
I remember those!!! First PA707 was 1960 to CPH...came back from OSL and that may have been the DC8...remember the lights at the side of the seat headrest on that one...and the bigger windows!! (heck..windows a must for a 8yr old!!..then again still is now...grin)
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