X-PAK LED Strobe system

[vonjet]

Anybody have these or tried them? Im considering replaceing my Whelen system with them. Spruce is selling the kit for 399.

[Rick RV-4]

I purchased these about six months ago. Very nicely built, but I haven't fired them up yet. I should be doing that in about a month or so, though. The only negative is that the power pack is quite heavy (maybe two pounds). Not sure how this compares to the Whelen pack.

A friend of mine fired them up on the Jabiru he built, and they were very bright and he has no complaints.

Hope this helps . . .

Rick

[vonjet]

Isn't anything I would call lite either. I like the looks of the X-PAK units compared to the Whelen 600s. I'd rather have the leds on my wingtips.
Am I correct in that they have NAV lites Strobe and Position Lights all in one?

[Rick RV-4]

Yep,

All of the lights (nav, strobe and position) are in the wing tip unit. This will meet the bare minimum requirements of the lighting requirements for night if you put them in the right spot.

I do like the fact that I can create up to 14 (or is it 16?) flash patterns. The plans show you how to wire this into a small button in the cockpit - and you can control the flash patterns form there (just for fun!).

Rick

[vonjet]

What type of aircraft are you puttint them on? If they are mounted on the wingtips that would meet the FAR requirement for night lighting correct? I need these kind because I cant put a light in my tail..

[Rick RV-4]

I'm putting them on an RV-4. If I remember correctly, they are legal if you can see them 1,200 feet in front of and 1,200 behind the aircraft on a line straight in front (or in back) of the plane. In other words, a plane catching you from behind (or head on 1200 feet in fornt of you) has to be able to see you.

I'm building an RV-4 with the old style tips. If you have the sheared tips (the bat tips as some people call them) I'm not sure if they would qualify due to the angle of the tips (as viewed from above).

Hope this helps . . .

Also, they do fit well on the light moldings Vans sells to mount the Whelen light on the wingtips.

Rick

[vonjet]

Do you think they are better than the Whelen strobe kit? Im considering selling my Whelen system and getting these LED's.

[Rick RV-4]

I can't answer this. I've never dealt with installing Whelen lights, but know they have a good reputation. We have them on the military jets I fly and they are very reliable and others have said the same. The Whelen's seem to have a better reputation than the Aeroflash lights (which is the system I was going to use originally).

That being said, I definitely wanted to go with an LED system, but wanted to keep my costs down. The Whelens were about twice as much (or more) and I only plan on night flying in my RV-4 as a last resort. My main goal is just to increase my visibility (to others) while flying.

For me, I was willing to take the risk of maybe going lower quality for the drastic price reduction. Not to say they're lower quality, but I figure if they are, I can deal with it for the huge price difference. I know LED lights are very realiable in general, so if the power pack is okay, it should be a very good lighting system.

Hope this helps . . .

Rick

[craigvince]

If you're looking for an all-in-one wingtip solution, you might want to check out the AeroLed Pulsar.

[DocThrock]

I have the GS-Air LED/Xpak wingtip system on my Rocket. 100+ hours in flight. Haven't played with the strobe patterns, but the navs are plenty bright and the strobes are nice. No noise from the XPAK at all in my radios.