Recently I poked fun at the NY Times science section for asking:
Is it true that airport runways are lined with blue lights because blue light can be seen from the longest distance?
Of course, the runways are not lined with blue lights, the taxiways are.
So after receiving an e-mail from me and doubtless many other pilots (or even observant passengers) pointing out the error in the question, they changed it on the web page. The question now reads:
Is it true that airport taxiways are lined with blue lights because blue light can be seen from the longest distance?
Their first attempt was wrong. The correction now just sounds silly. Here's my answer...
No. Being able to see a taxiway from a distance is of minor importance compared to being able to see the runway from a distance. That explains why runways are lined with much brighter white lights that can pierce through low visibility conditions. The dimmer blue lights of the taxiway produce less glare for the pilots during ground operations when they need to focus on the path immediately ahead at slow speeds.
The fact that blue-green light is fairly easy to see is interesting, but not an answer to the question.
A side note that might have led them to a more interesting version of the question: My Volkswagen has blue backlit dashboard lights (with red pointers for the guages). When I bought the car, I was told that many European cars are like that, and that it makes the dashboard easier to read. I don't dispute it at all. Compared to my American made car with the conventional green lighting, the VW dashboard lights are very easy on the eyes. For what it's worth.
Lumens. Wavelength. Why should a science columnist know the difference?
I am no pilot but I suspect that the reason taxiways are lit with relatively dim blue lights is to allow pilots actually landing planes to actually pick out the runways. Which is to say that not only is the premise of the question incorrect but 180 degrees from the reality, by and large you would hope that taxiways would be mostly invisible from the air. If I am a passenger on a 747 I really don't want my pilot landing on the visual equivalent of a pinball machine. After all "Shoot! I thought that was the runway" is not the answer I am eager to hear after the crash.
That is correct. I do have a pilots license and have flown into controlled airports at night. (Sadly, I don't do much flying anymore.) Let me tell you, when the runway lights are turned up to high intensity, there's no way you'll mistake a taxiway for a runway or vice versa. And trust me, the dimmer blue taxiway lights are much easier on the eyes for ground operations.
The revised version of the question is silly--shows no grasp of logical thought.