Cockpit lighting

[Charles in SC]

I guess I am one of the odd ones, I have always loved flying at night and when I used to instruct I always tried to give my students more than the minimum night time so they would be comfortable with it. With that said the most useful flashlight I have ever used was the old military type with the 90 degree head. They are bright, tough, easy to feel in the dark if you drop them on the floor, and you can hold them between your knees if you want to. It would be cool if one was available with a variable output.

[Tankerpilot75]

Dave,
I agree with Bill that too much interior lighting is bad. IMHO it's difficult to have too much exterior lighting for landing. Your G3X touch screen is an excellent EFIS and you have the ability to display approaches (I believe). A red lens map light with an extension cord would also be handy for locating things in the cockpit and I like the idea of Van's flexible led light strip under the glare shield tied to a dimmer circuit. All these are good ideas but you really want to be able to darken the cockpit before hitting the traffic pattern. In cruise flight I want to be able to find things so that's where a map light is most needed.

I also like to display approach plates and map information on my iPad using the reverse color night setting. I find this really handy, even during night VFR. The more information I have the better. But remember, protect your night vision and keeps things as dark as possible at least 20 minutes before landing.

[RV7A Flyer]

I love flying at night...cooler weather, smoother air, quieter air traffic, good visibility for seeing other aircraft, etc.

I have a strip of white LEDs under the glareshield, with a dimmer. Forget the red lights. The best lighting is white, and yes, as noted, you need it *dim*, especially if you have an EFIS w/ charts and such (you won't really need to read paper maps if that's the case).

I put a flood light (Aveo) in the baggage area (tip-up, so installed on the upper brace running fore and aft), and it's great for loading the baggage in the dark. I also put a movable eyeball map light there (also Aveo), but frankly have never used it.

As for landing lights...meh. My instructor routinely turned them off on me during my primary training, saying "you don't need landing lights...look outside at the runway lights!". I have them, but they're not very useful except for taxiing.

ETA: one more bit of lighting...I stuck two LED lights (6 LEDs each) under the panel pointed down, and they've actually been *very* useful...when getting in the cockpit at night, when working down there during maintenance, etc.

[YellowJacket RV9]

I also have nothing but the two eyeball lights, located on the vertical main spar bulkheads. The pilot side is red, the passenger side is white. They are generally aimed at the switches, and if I had to do it over I would do white instead of red, as they are not nearly the brightest thing in the cockpit anyways, and not pointed at me. They do provide plenty of light for the in-flight phase of night flying assuming you don't use paper charts, but I also keep multiple small flashlights handy, and one of those stick-on LED lights may be handy for loading and unloading at night.

I also agree that flying at night is awesome!

Chris

[rockwoodrv9]

Thanks for the replies and info.

When I started flying again after 35 years to finish getting my license, I knew I would not have the experience in my lifetime to push limits. I have a few self imposed rules I will follow or not fly.

1. Dont fly in bad weather
2. Dont run out of fuel
3. Dont fly at night
4. Dont buzz anyone or anyplace
5. Dont fly if I need to get there

If I follow those rules, I cut down the risk of flying to a level I am willing to accept. I do not suggest my rules are for anyone but me.

I have AeroLEDS landing, taxi, wing tip, and tail lights - mostly so people will see me. I will put the glare shield LED lights in and probably the lights in the side posts. My son may use them. He is an AH-64D pilot and does most of his flying at night. Maybe if he can get the night vision setup, I would reconsider!

Thanks again.

[lr172]

In addition to extensive cockpit lighting (mostly for loading/unloading), I did a couple map lights plus the LED strip under the glareshield. I haven't had a chart in several years (use Ipad) and have never used the map lights. If I need to see something on my lap, I just turn up the LED strip a bit.

Larry

[SeanB]

Hi Rock,

Like many others, I am using the upper brace of the tipper that runs from the baggage bulkhead to the roll bar. I found some nice LED swivel mount lights that have either red or white LEDS in each. I'll put these on my dimmer and should be able to adjust their angle while in flight to satisfy the current need. I placed them forward on the brace to make it easier to reach.

Pic on my site: http://www.mykitlog.com/users/catego...category=10779

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/displa...g=208403&row=2

Aircraft Spruce sells them, with optional base: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages...kpitlights.php

[RViter]

Originally Posted by rockwoodrv9

Thanks for the replies and info.

... snipped

I have AeroLEDS landing, taxi, wing tip, and tail lights - mostly so people will see me. I will put the glare shield LED lights in and probably the lights in the side posts. My son may use them. He is an AH-64D pilot and does most of his flying at night. Maybe if he can get the night vision setup, I would reconsider!

Thanks again.

I started flying in '72 and finished my PPL 2005, similar personal limits but consider the aircraft lighting as much about "See & Be Seen" in the daytime, as the unintentional need to have them at night, if only to re-position the aircraft on the ground at night. A diversion for weather or other emergency could put anyone into darker skies before getting on the ground. But being seen in daylight is greatly enhanced by WigWag of LED Taxi/Landing and Strobes, current draw is so minimal.

Having hands-free lighting, back-up sources, and directional control of cabin lights is essential. KNOWING where to adjust panel dimming is important day or night. (One thread discussed a daylight EFIS going 'dark' and they couldn't see the soft-keys labels to select/see a functional but dimmed EFIS in daylight.).

Civil Twilight is my personal favorite time, but night flying in a big city (Class B) is not the time to spot other aircraft by seeing their lights against the billions of ground lights as a background.

[rockwoodrv9]

I have the VP power system that wig wags my landing and taxi lights. I agree that is the best way to be seen. I have even considered a smoke system for crowded skys, at least that is what I tell my wife it is for!

[Caveman]

Great thread on interior lighting:
http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ad.php?t=64051