Joe,
A tad off-topic but,
Being a Helicopter pilot myself, I know what you mean.
The instrument panel in the majority of aircraft I've flown have a back-light in each meter, however, only in really dark conditions can you see the real effect of the back-lighting.
John,
I think that building designers and Architects have a duty to provide us with an adequate source of artificial lighting for when we work on panels and other equipment.
After all, they are usually the ones that have the say where the panel is sited, during the drawing of the building plans.
I'm not talking a heap of expensive lighting here, just one fluorescent strip, perhaps suspended from the ceiling above the panel.
