Troubleshooting Learjet Lighting: Cabin and Instrument Panel Lights Issue

I understand your issue with the Learjet lighting system, it seems like a quite a thorn in your night-time aviation adventures. I'm glad you brought this up, as many flight sim enthusiasts have found themselves vexed by this very problem.

From my knowledge, the issue you're describing is likely due to the way the aircraft model's lighting logic has been implemented. In both Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) and X-Plane 12, the lighting systems for aircraft can be a bit tricky to manage, particularly for third-party models.

Aircraft lighting (the systems of an aircraft which are used to provide illumination, both inside and out) in these simulators can be intricate and highly customized, and this is particularly true for highly detailed aircraft models, like the Learjet.

Let's break this down:

• Panel lights: these illuminate the instrument panel, making it easier to read the dials and gauges during night flights.
• Instrument/gauge lights: a subset of panel lights, they specifically illuminate the various instruments and gauges.
• Cabin lights: provide lighting inside the cabin of the aircraft, which includes cockpit and passenger area (if there is one).

One approach to mitigate this issue is to fine-tune the individual light sources through the aircraft's configuration files. These files, usually labeled as .cfg or .acf depending on the simulator, allow advanced users to adjust various parameters of the aircraft, including lighting.

A couple of quick points on that:

Always make a backup of your configuration files before modifying them.
Be cautious, as changes to these files can affect the aircraft's behaviour in unexpected ways.
Here's how you could approach this:

1. Locate your aircraft's configuration file (aircraft.cfg for MSFS or aircraft.acf for X-Plane).
2. Open this file with a text editor.
3. Look for a section dedicated to lighting (usually labeled as '[LIGHTS]' or similar).
4. Within this section, there should be entries for each light source in the aircraft.
5. You can tweak these entries to adjust the intensity, range, and color of the light sources, which might help solve your problem.

However, keep in mind that this method requires a certain level of technical understanding and comfort with modifying game files.

If you're not comfortable delving into the configuration files, there might be another simpler method: using a different aircraft model. Some developers have created alternative models for popular aircraft like the Learjet, which may have different, more agreeable lighting systems.

I hope that these suggestions have been of some assistance. As always, don't hesitate to ask if you have any further questions. Happy flying!