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Originally Posted by cityjohn
Thanks everyone for the replies.
"Stateless." That makes a lot of sense. I have wondered about this when I switch on reading lamps in a jet; can the pilot turn all lights off from the cockpit without the crew having to go row-by-row and return settings to "off" after parking the plane?
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Well, only recently (since 1985) has the aviation industry grabbed on to the stateless concept.
You see, air crash investigators typically rely on the position of switches and gauges.
For example, there is even a term for this called "witness marks."
Witness marks are caused by the paint on an analog gauge's needle striking its clear protective surface after an impact. The witness marks can aid the investigator by conveying where the needle was at the time of impact.
Of course this doesn't always work in modern glass cockpits. But, even modern cockpits have basic gauges in case the glass (display monitors) fails.
Finally, even older aircraft have updated passenger compartments. So, you provide a fine example on how stateless buttons may work on some aircraft.