What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

FlyLEDs Review

ChuckGant

Well Known Member
FlyLEDs ?Origninal Wingtip and Strobe Kit? and ?Combo Leading Edge Landing/Taxi Light"

**Even though my plane is on his website, I have no affiliation with FlyLEDs, other than being a satisfied customer.**

I just finished the installation of two FlyLEDs kits on our RV7. I elected to purchase this kit after the power supply on our Whelen strobe system failed. As I shopped around for a replacement, I decided that I didn?t want to spend the money to repair the old system and opted to modernize our lighting with LED. After getting a bit of sticker shock at the price of replacement Whelen LEDs, I searching for better options. I settled on the FlyLEDs system, not just for the price, but also for the custom fit to the airplane and the amazing brightness of the lights.

The position lights/strobe light system comes as a kit that you put together yourself. It includes the control board, which I installed behind the rear bulkhead in place of the old Whelen box.

pPgPYN


v4i2E4


On the wingtips, there are 2 custom fit wingtip boards that fit in the clear enclosure of the bat-wing style wingtip.

nuMZ4U


On the board are mounted colored LEDs and strobe LEDs.

au3VMn


7SpVD9


The project was a lot of fun and pretty simple if you know basic soldering. The wingtip control boards are oversized a bit, which allows you to shape them to fit your wingtips precisely. They come in white, so I elected to paint mine to match our airplane. Installation was very straightforward, allowing me to use the existing wiring from my Whelen strobe system. I did add new plugs on the end to make disassembly of the wingtips easier. I also installed the LED tail strobe. Also an easy installation.

The system is really pretty ingenious. The control board allows you to select from several different strobe patterns and the positions lights are very bright and noticeable. I came into the overhead pattern in formation with another RV last week and everyone on the ground said that my position lights and strobes were much brighter than the standard Whelen system on the other airplane.

--------

As for the landing lights? I replaced the rectangular halogen lights that were originally installed in our RV with the Combo kit from FlyLEDs.com. This system consists of 3 x 3600 luminary?s landing lights in each wing and one 1200 lumin taxi light in each wing.

Jv2sov


The taxi lights have a diffuser and are angled down for taildragger installation. I haven?t had the opportunity to fly them at night, but at dusk they seemed much brighter than the original halogens. I?ll get more pictures once I get a night flight.

CUxLZy


This installation was also pretty easy. I used the existing wiring from my previous landing and taxi lights to wire the new LED landing lights, and I ran a new wire down each wing to wire the taxi lights. With this system, I purchased Pauls new wig-wag module to control the landing lights. This is another ingenious system that allows for 8 different wig-wag patterns. It also allows for the installation without having to add an additional switch. The way this works is, to use the landing lights, you just flip on the landing light switch, as usual, and both lights come on. If you want to wig-wag the lights, you flip the switch on, then off, then back on again to activate wig-wag mode. This was a perfect solution for me, as I didn?t want to add another switch to my panel. The wig-wag module is a little control board about 2 in. x 3 in. that I mounted underneath my panel. It has a little button on it that allows you to program the wig-wag mode that you desire.

I can?t say enough about the customer service from Paul at FlyLEDs.com. I had several questions initially, and he was very quick to answer and very helpful in solving one little problem. I really appreciated his help, and I love supporting these small businesses. These lights can be purchased directly from Paul in Australia, or from flyboyaccessories.com here in the states.

Overall: I can highly recommend this system for RV installations. The fit and finish turned out great, the technology is very impressive and the customer service is unmatched.

Feel free to hit me up with any questions.

4cQsca


mkR3S2


Here's a video of the whole system lit up. The landing lights are on steady, not in wig-wag mode.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF_qRVHIuH0
 
I built and installed the wingtip nav and strobes and completely agree with your sentiments. I would also definitely recommend them.
 
This is going to sound like a FlyLeds lovefest, but I also share the webpage and I am very impressed with the FlyLeds product.

We completed an RV10 build here recently(6 months ago) with the leading edge kit with 4 lights each. It is seriously bright also. The upgrade on our RV10 was the best thing we ever did in terms of lighting. Every plane we builder assist with now will have them. Its a no brainer!

Just buy them! :D
 
First, I'll echo the kudos for Paul's kits, I got the wingtip kit pretty early on, and when the combo landing light kit came out I knew I needed those, too. Instructions for everything have been great, and Paul is super helpful if you email him with questions. Highly recommend.

Second, on the topic of brightness of the combo lights - I don't have a flying plane to test them on, but of course I had to try them out after I got the units assembled. The following photos were taken with just one of the combo units powered on, and with only the three landing light on, not the taxi light. The lights are shining on a hangar across the runway, roughly 300' away. Both of these photos were taken with identical camera settings.

IMG_7160.jpg

IMG_7159.jpg


Can't wait to try them in the real world, but that's a year or so off at minimum...
 
I too am a VERY HAPPY FlyLEDs customer. My aircraft is also on Pauls site. Actually mine is the video you'll see on the front page. Would not consider anything else!
 
Back
Top