Exterior Lighting

A

AKhawker

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I'm deciding what to do with lighting. I'm building a 4 place and I want to be legal for night flying so I'm looking at Flyled's wing tip lighing. My issue is I'm not too keen on running wires to the rudder for a tail position light. There doesn't seem to be a great option for mounting a light on the rudder. I am wondering what other guys are doing for the rear position light. Flyled has a tail strobe/position light that would work great, but I see exposed wires crossing a constantly moving joint as a great way to cause a problem now or later. Maybe I am just overthinking this. What are others doing?

I was also thinking that I could put the Flyled's wing tip lights on (both position, anti-collision and landing), a beacon on top and bottom in front of the tail, and for the rear position light, I could mount a rear facing white light in both wing tips. FAR 25.1385 allows that for the rear position light, but I'm not sure that applies to me. That would give me ease of access, no silliness of exposed moving wires, and hopefully meet the FAA requirements. Be easy on me as I'm new here.:D
 
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Rear facing white position lights go just fine on the wingtips. I like the one-piece position and strobe light LEDs. If you want to put a landing light in the wing, put it in the last outboard bay or the front corner of the wingtip. The nose is also an option.
 
I put these on my wingtips... https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/aveopowerburst.php
They meet the rear visibility requirement so no tail light needed. (in Canada anyway). I don't have pictures of the lights installed but you can see the mounting location in the photo of the wingtips below.

I put landing lights in the nose bowl to avoid having to deal with cutting up the leading edge of the wing.

Both required a little fiberglass work but nothing too difficult.

People I fly with always comment how easy it is to see me coming with the wig wag landing lights flashing. I leave them on all the time.

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We (I should say Carlo with me doing vertical head nod when I saw the install) went with rectangular landing lights on linear actuator... retracts or sits in preprogrammed (with an additional programmable module) or 'blipped' positions for takeoff, ID, landing, taxi, and underwing lighting (fewer LEDs running).with power and control running to wingtip, just as easy to pull wire for lights in last bay.


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I'm planning to use the FlyLEDs system exactly as you describe: Landing/taxi/position/strobe forward/side facing in the front of the wingtips. Aft-facing white LEDs on the trailing edge of each wingtip. The wingtips are still rough but here are a couple of photos. Be sure to talk to Paul at FlyLEDs to get guidance on how to properly connect the aft-facing lights to the controller. Each light needs its own ballast resistor. This configuration is not directly supported by the controller so a little bit of extra work is required to get equal currents to both aft-facing lights. DISCLAIMER: I'm not flying yet, still trying to figure out how to make the lenses for the big bays at the front of the wingtips. I've ruined plenty of acrylic sheets, but I've not given up yet!
​ wingtip2.jpg wingtip1.jpg
 
I went with nav/strobe lights all in one type. I can't remember the brand but there are several. Maybe aeroled. Easy install. Two lights to install, one on each wing. Each has on the forward portion the red or green, on the aft portion it has the white light and in the center is the strobe. I had my doubts at first about having the white light an inch from the colored light instead of on the tail, but it works and is legal. If I were doing more night flying at public airports I would probably install a beacon or strobe on the belly, just because I don't like to taxi around with the wingtip strobes on.
 
I was planning to use the FlyLED system exactly as shown here but got hung up on the wording in FAR Part 91.205 (c) where it says the position and anti collision lights must be "approved". In FAR Part 1, the word "approved" is defined as approved by the FAA or someone they designate. From various sources I've gleaned the FAA will not approve these lights for the experimental world.

My main concern is getting ramp-checked by some ambitious agent somewhere far from home after a night or IFR flight and having my aircraft grounded. If anyone on this forum has input on this I'd love to hear it.
 
If building now I would certainly go with those, looks like the solution for landing/taxi lights in a taildragger!
 
Making/figuring the wing install brackets for them over the next weeks as well as a detailed write-up as I go. Will need two switches in the cockpit to control taxi light function and Paul@FlyLED has a single switch which can control/program landing and wig-wag functions.

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Given the airplane is certificated as part of the airworthiness inspection, those FlyLED lights would be 'approved' in the sense of the DAR that did the inspection signed off on the aircraft and systems as airworthy..
 
Personally I have no reservations about using non-TSO lights in a homebuilt, speaking both from the safety and compliance angles. I use AN bolts because Bob specs AN bolts for structural properties and manufacturing standards. I use aircraft oil because of the chemistry of our engines. But I'm happy to use automotive spark plugs because I think they are better. No judgement to folks who disagree, but I'm pretty particular about staying within the letter and intent of the regulations, and I think this is a non-problem.
 
Agree - a youngster out of the OK school house might find some reason to write up a Normal category aircraft like a 172 with non-approved lighting system with a check of log books and the approved models list (plus 337's for the field approvals which are relatively common on GA aircraft), but that would be highly unlikely without an egregious violation (e.g., flashlights speed-taped to wingtips) or guidance from HQ or Region directing that specific inspection item. For E-AB, I have observed that the FAA's field force focuses on safety first, then compliance across specific installed systems where non-compliance or installation error are common (e.g., ADS-B installed/operational on aircraft that have flown into airports in rule airspace). Like Garmin's avionics lines that branch between Normal Cat (14 CFR Parts 23, 27) aircraft and E-AB, the lighting manufacturers seem intent on at least meeting minimum standards of those Parts while providing some enhancements to their current or planned STC or PMA stuff.

In other words, I think there is reason to believe that - other than lighting which is clearly not fit for purpose from a non-aviation-focused vendor (e.g., Bubba and Bo's Underwater Fishing Lights as primary supplier for your homebuilt) - your use of a popular aviation manufacturer's lighting system on your homebuilt is unlikely to be as problematic on a ramp inspection at an airport inside the Mode C Veil as an absent or clearly inoperable ADS-B Out system. Also keep in mind that FAA operations and maintenance inspectors generally understand that there is stupid stuff and there is important stuff, and for a chronically understaffed field force, both senior management and line supervisors clearly skew towards emphasis on the later, if only to avoid explaining why they wasted their day on the former.
 
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I like your thought process and thanks for the input! I will definitely reconsider my "reservations" as I REALLY like the FlyLED setup!
 
DBeaulieu said:
Making/figuring the wing install brackets for them over the next weeks as well as a detailed write-up as I go. Will need two switches in the cockpit to control taxi light function and Paul@FlyLED has a single switch which can control/program landing and wig-wag functions.

My aerosun landing lights have a built in wigwag function. I used an on-off-on toggle switch, up for landing lights, down for wigwag.
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DBeaulieu said:
Making/figuring the wing install brackets for them over the next weeks as well as a detailed write-up as I go. Will need two switches in the cockpit to control taxi light function and Paul@FlyLED has a single switch which can control/program landing and wig-wag functions.
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Dave, I’m stealing the other Dave’s thunder by posting this, but it should help.
IMG_9554.jpg IMG_9556.jpg
 
500AGL Peter, what are my chances of getting in touch with this guy to see how he fabricated his cover lens for the wing. I'm interested if he may still have the mold or if he gently shaped an off the shelf lens from Vans
 
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I wondered how hot the plexiglas has to be heated to draped over a mold and form easily. I found a document….plexiglas tips for fabrication guide.

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https://www.plexiglas.de/files/plex...inie/311-5-Fabricating-Tips-for-PLEXIGLAS.pdf


It says 300f. A infrared heat gun would help to know how warm heat gun is making the acrylic. I also wonder if you heated a piece of aluminum up to 300-325f with a piece of plexiglass on it, if one could then remove them from the oven and transfer the plexiglass off the aluminum and draping it over a mold.
 
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I did boot cowl windows for a wag aero in the kitchen oven.
Just heated up the oven with a curved steel tube in it and laid the plexi on top. When it was up to temp it started to form down around the tube and I just applied some pressure.
 

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Excellent information and pics. I decided to go with the flyleds lighting. I don't know if I will add an additional landing light yet. I'll have to see how the wing tip landing lights light up the middle. I like the cowl lights TimTall has and could retro those easily later if I need more center lighting.

On a side note, Paul at flyleds is great to work with. I had numerous questions and he was fast in responding.
 
TimTall said:
I put these on my wingtips... https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/aveopowerburst.php
They meet the rear visibility requirement so no tail light needed. (in Canada anyway). I don't have pictures of the lights installed but you can see the mounting location in the photo of the wingtips below.

I put landing lights in the nose bowl to avoid having to deal with cutting up the leading edge of the wing.

Both required a little fiberglass work but nothing too difficult.

People I fly with always comment how easy it is to see me coming with the wig wag landing lights flashing. I leave them on all the time.

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Hey Tim, really like your landing lights there. What size are they? Par36's or something smaller?
 
PAR 36. They're from the aviation section of Amazon.. Amazon landing lights These aren't the exact light but same shape. The ones i installed had a high and low setting but I only used the high side. They run through a FlyLeds wig wag module on the backside of the panel. Glassing them into the nose bowl took some figuring but I'm glad i took the time. Other pilots comment on how easy they are to see. I leave the wigwags on all the time.
 
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