Story ID: 
Straight Talk About Aircraft Lighting
By: Martha Jercinovich
Caption: Duncan Aviation's Straight Talk series provides information on services, equipment, technologies, or standards that are of interest to customers.
Word Count: 383
Duncan Aviation provides information on topics that affect business aviation in clear, concise language. The company’s Straight Talk series includes information about CMS (Cabin Management Systems), Airspace Modernization, Navigating Supply Chain Challenges, Burn Testing, and much more, in formats that include books, videos, podcasts, and webinars. Go to https://duncanaviation.aero/resources/straight-talk to see these resources.
Duncan Aviation technical experts periodically update the existing Straight Talk resources and produce new information on services, equipment, technologies, or standards that are of interest to our customers and industry experts.
In 2022, a team of Avionics Sales Representatives including Adrian Chene, Steve Elofson, and Dennis Kruse, researched and wrote a Straight Talk book about Aircraft Lighting. The book provides a quick reference guide for those considering upgrades to their aircraft lighting due to obsolete technologies or personal preference.
Pros & Cons of Lighting Options
Delving into the three types of lighting currently available (incandescent, fluorescent, and LED), the book points out the drawbacks of incandescent and fluorescent lighting and the benefits of LEDs. Incandescent bulbs create heat and burn out quickly, and fluorescent bulbs are hot, inefficient, and easily broken. LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are semiconductors that emit light, so they produce very little heat, have quite long, efficient lives, and use relatively little power compared to the other two types of lights. 
Along with the other benefits, LEDs are easy and intuitive to control when integrated with newer CMSes. Color-changing LEDs mix red, green, and blue diodes within the same bulb to create almost any color in the cabin to promote sleep (soft blue lighting) or simulate a bright, sunny day, among many other settings.
Seeing is believing, so on your next visit to any of our full-service facilities, stop into the Design Center and see the various light samples in our lighting booths. The booths let you see how different lights and colors affect materials you may be considering for your aircraft interior.
We’ve captured some of the effects of aircraft lighting in this video.
For more information on aircraft lighting, future lighting technologies, necessary interior modifications, and current manufacturers of aircraft lighting, download your free copy of Straight Talk Book About Aircraft Lighting.