I have decided to go the route of Aveo ZipTips for lighting on my RV14-A. I contacted Van's to inquire about have the leading edge skins of the wings changed to not have the leading edge cutout for the landing lights. The ziptips do not need that cutout.
Van's has agreed to this modification with the following stipulations. I need to note on the drawings that they provided me (part number W-0001-L and W-0001-R) what exactly I wanted. The cost would be $100 per skin and they would run the skins in November 2020. I was satisfied with their response, so I have moved ahead with this as it works with my build schedule.
You can delete parts W-00017 - qty (2) which are the brackets for the landing lights. I also deleted the fiberglass wing tips at $247 ea. You can also delete W-00014 & W-00018 which are the lenses and nut plate bracket.
Lighting is a personal preference to me and this is the route I choose for my plane. If you are considering ZipTips, the option for deleting the cutouts and associated holes in the leading edge is now available. My belief is that if enough people go this route, it will pave the way for this to become a standard option for both the 14 and the 10.
The ZipTip option is more expensive than other lighting options, so it is not for everyone. By my calculations, it is about $700 more that Aero plus $200 if you want the leading edge cutouts removed.
Just my $0.02
Van's has agreed to this modification with the following stipulations. I need to note on the drawings that they provided me (part number W-0001-L and W-0001-R) what exactly I wanted. The cost would be $100 per skin and they would run the skins in November 2020. I was satisfied with their response, so I have moved ahead with this as it works with my build schedule.
You can delete parts W-00017 - qty (2) which are the brackets for the landing lights. I also deleted the fiberglass wing tips at $247 ea. You can also delete W-00014 & W-00018 which are the lenses and nut plate bracket.
Lighting is a personal preference to me and this is the route I choose for my plane. If you are considering ZipTips, the option for deleting the cutouts and associated holes in the leading edge is now available. My belief is that if enough people go this route, it will pave the way for this to become a standard option for both the 14 and the 10.
The ZipTip option is more expensive than other lighting options, so it is not for everyone. By my calculations, it is about $700 more that Aero plus $200 if you want the leading edge cutouts removed.
Just my $0.02
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