Has anybody (else) melted a wingtip light lens?

Ironflight · #1 04-19-2009, 08:58 AM

I was cleaning bugs off the Val not long ago, and much to my surprise, i felt a slight depression in the top of the starboard wingtip light Plexiglas cover. I looked close, and sure enough, it had melted a little, directly over the Nav light. The lights are mounted exactly per plans, centered between top and bottom, and the integral strobes do not appear to be a problem. I have tip HID landing lights which I use quite a bit - but again, the melted spot corresponds perfectly to the Nav light.

In the 900 hours I have been flying the Val, only a very small percentage of the time has been at night, so the Nav lights don't get used terribly often. I have probably flow more night flights in the past night months than in the two years before that, so this is a recent development.

The "dent" isn't worth fixing right now, but I am curious if anyone else has seen this problem?

Paul

638RS · #2 04-19-2009, 09:48 AM

I have a slight melt in one lens... happened while trouble shooting a problem on the ground with the lights on for no more than 3 to 5 minutes. It seems that when flying the lens cover stays cool enough but perhaps not when standing still

Nomadicram · #3 04-19-2009, 02:57 PM

Right wingtip light lens has a thimble sized dimple directly over the green tip light on my RV-7.

RVAddict · #4 04-19-2009, 04:10 PM

This is on the "sheared" tips correct? Because all the ones I have seen with squared off tips have the external nav/position/strobe combination on them.

Kyle Boatright · #5 04-19-2009, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVAddict

This is on the "sheared" tips correct? Because all the ones I have seen with squared off tips have the external nav/position/strobe combination on them.

There was a retrofit kit in the old days to allow the position/strobe lights to be mounted under a plexiglass fairing at the leading edge of the Hoerner (square) tip. Just the kind of thing to add 10 hours to a 3,000 hour project. I, of course, used 'em... ;-)

plehrke · #6 04-20-2009, 04:32 AM

I also have a small dimple in my plexiglass lense. I only have a few hours with the nav lights on as I do very little night flying. I assumed that I had the dimple in the plexiglass before construction and never noticed as I could not figure out how it could have happened. The light on while on the ground makes sense.

N8RV · #7 04-20-2009, 05:53 AM

Thanks for the heads-up, Paul. While my lenses have yet to experience the benefits of aerodynamic cooling

, I don't relish having to regularly replace them as they melt. Maybe a wise move would be to replace the brand-new Whelen nav/strobe lights with brand-new Whelen LED nav/strobe lights.

Ironflight · #8 04-20-2009, 06:32 AM

Very interesting to know that I am not the only one!

Yes, these are the "Bat Wing Swoop" tips delivered in about 2004 or so. I am pretty sure that this happened on a long taxi/hold short a few months back at a towered airport, so the lights being on without aerodynamic cooling for ten minutes was probably the cause.

Paul

RV3 Pilot · #9 04-20-2009, 10:22 PM

I dont have the lenses but a thought crossed my mind. First, do you drill a little drain hole for any moisture?
Second, if you do why not increase the hole size a bit to promote some crossflow across the lenses? I'm fairly sure the lense aea pressurizes a bit in fight.
Sorry if this makes no sense at all.
Tom
RV3
whelens on the outside.

RV8Squaz · #10 04-21-2009, 06:29 AM

Paul,
I do have a small depression on one of my lenses. I plan on removing it, turning it upside down and putting a heat gun to it. I believe the melt happened while taxiing out on a hot summer day. I now turn the position lights on when it's not hot out or just prior to take off and it hasn't happened since. I believe in flight there is enough airflow to keep things cool no matter what the temp is outside.

Jerry
N84JE