I don't see why they couldn't make a flashlight.  XP11 has this feature and I think with dynamic lightning p3d could do it too

Yes, it is now nearly impossible in the cockpit at night, but it also is the most realistic we have had it at night. In the real world you can feel around and easily find the battery and light switches, but that little hand on the screen is of no help! My plan is to program a button for battery and lights. I may change my mind, but right now I like the darkness as it finally feels different to fly at night.

I've never been in any airplane wt night where it was completed pitch black. Even up at cruise on a moonless night above the clouds, I could still easily make my way around the cockpit.

Cold and dark in real life, you CSN still make out items in the cockpit. Silhouettes if you will....

It's kind of a pain now the way they changed the night flying.

6 minutes ago, ahsmatt7 said:

I've never been in any airplane wt night where it was completed pitch black. Even up at cruise on a moonless night above the clouds, I could still easily make my way around the cockpit.

Cold and dark in real life, you CSN still make out items in the cockpit. Silhouettes if you will....

It's kind of a pain now the way they changed the night flying.

I guess it depends on the aircraft. I’m a third crew member on G5/G550’s, and whenever I’m in the jumpseat at night I can’t see a darn thing. Of course the two pilots have flood lights above their heads with dimming relays so those are technically always on (except for departures and arrivals so there’s no glare on the windshields), but if those are off its pretty dark! 

Edited December 9, 20187 yr by Deltaair1212

The problem of course in the sim is that we do not get any ambient light in the VC. It would never really be that pitch black as you would have light from terminal while on the ground.  When the displays are on, that also gives off ambient light.  It's kind of a balancing game in the sim and shader adjustments can help if you own PTA.  You can use a quick 'time preview' in order to get some lights on first if it is too dark.  

As a workaround I enter time preview mode slide the timer for some light hit the battery and light switches and exit back to the original pitch black time 😁

X-Plane has a torch that can be toggled via the in sim menu bar. LM should implement this feature too as 4.4 is particularly darker than 4.3 and I like it a lot! Its lucky I know where the storm switch is on the 747...

2 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

I don't see why they couldn't make a flashlight.

An Avatar with a flashlight!

Not only the pitch blackness which I like, and LM got rid of the rotating beacon cone and with DL appears more realistic.

Does anyone have a workaround for this? Iv spent the past 2 days reinstalling my system right down to windows thinking it was a stubborn shader. I've even bought and used, with no success, PTA. The sim looks stupid at night at an unrealistically pitch black international terminal, and the AI are just black silhouettes. I can cope with the extreme dark in the air for example, but even then, the dynamic lighting isn't ready to fill the darkness. Aprons are well lit, LM cant seriously think this is acceptable? to just plunge the whole place into inky black. I admit, potentially the look is amazing. But there are lights at an airport.... The dynamic lights were such a step up. Now its like they have been switched off. 

There is more to this. My flights start off with a level of ambient light that is fine. Darker than 4.3, but not simply silhouettes. And then something happens, like it jumps down a few brightnesses. Sometimes at once, sometimes i only notice when i look for a switch. Same with the external. Sometimes you can see the aircraft fine, and when its "gone darker" its pitch black.... Something is doing this, the dynamic lighting is faulty, surely?

I'm seeing the same thing as the rest of you.. and it seems that light from terminal lights doesn't reflect off of at least some third airlines anymore.

I suppose it's time to switch HDR back on and try some adjustments.  I intend to speak to LM about this next week.

 

Best wishes!

 

Turns out my problem from last night is back after all Dave. I have posted a video on here that shows it actually happening. Its working, and then it switches off?

Also realize that 4.4 was released during a new moon.  If you fly in real date/time as I do, it's been quite dark.  If you change your date to December 22nd (full moon in Western US, or full moon equivalent date for your area), then you will see a notable difference.  Pretty cool effect!

For years I have been reading posts about night time being too bright, now it's too dark.  Seems we are are a hard bunch to please....

Edited December 9, 20187 yr by Lawy