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bobnoffs

Well Known Member
i am ready to order my wing kit. although i do wants the light kit i really don't want it yet. i don't know if the wiring harness only is available but if so has anyone just pulled the wiring harness in the wings?
is there much added difficulty if i add the light kit later?
 
Before or After

Bob,

The lighting kit is designed so the lighting kit can be installed during or after wing construction. Of course, during construction would be ideal. The big thing to remember if planning to install the lights after the wings are completed ? make sure you install a pull cord through the grommets so the wires can be pulled in later.

If you are NOT building your RV-12 as E-LSA, you may also want to consider using shielded wire for the strobe wiring (suggested by AeroLEDs). If you go that way, consider using a larger grommet in the ribs for easier install of the wire. I used 7/16? SB-437-5 grommets and ran shielded wire for both the strobe and landing lights because I wanted wig-wag as well and felt shielded wire may be helpful there too.

Happy Building,
 
I have built one where we installed the wiring first, and one where we will soon be pulling the wires. I am not looking forward to it... I would install the wires now. Only a few bucks for wire, and you can leave them loosely ited and not have to worry about it. Stein can send you the wire.

Bob
 
You might check to see if Van's will sell you the instruction pages for the lighting kit. That would give you the templates for cutting the landing light and nav light openings. Also, it would tell you what lengths and gauge of wire to pre-install in the wing. Connectors could be added when you get the lighting kit.

Jim
 
Rather than just running the string, you might want to buy the wire from Stein or someplace and run the wires in both wings. It's a tight fit, and regular string might break or stretch or get hung up if you decide to do it later.

I will say that the instructions give a before and after, but I think doing that landing light after the skins are fully attached would be quite the job.

It'll add $$$$, and a few weeks of part time workdays to the otherwise straight forward wing kit, but those new LED lights are quite nice and well worth the investment imho.
 
I only done it during wing build, so no comparison. However as I was doing it with the wingtip open, I thought how lucky I was to be doing it now. I would like a light in the other wing too, but not now that it is completed.
 
Jim T said:
You might check to see if Van's will sell you the instruction pages for the lighting kit. That would give you the templates for cutting the landing light and nav light openings. Also, it would tell you what lengths and gauge of wire to pre-install in the wing. Connectors could be added when you get the lighting kit.

Jim
Click to expand...

To add to this you could also buy the floating pin connector pins and install them ahead of time as well.

However, I'm installing my lighting kit as I build the wings and (like others) am really glad I'm doing it this way. I would encourage you to seriously consider doing the same.

Jim
 
As you are planning to install the lighting kit anyway, why not do it while building the wings? It will be easier and cheaper than ordering extra wire and maybe other items, wondering what to install ahead of time, etc. Sure you have to buy the lighting kit now, but if you can do it, it will be the best option in the long run.
 
from the previous posts it sounds like i will make my life much easier by installing the light kit now, which i will order with the wing kit.
my reason for waiting was not really about the money [although that is a consideration too] but i was thinking about how long before the current generation of LED technology is obsolete and now so are my lights. LED'S have improved so fast in the past few years i am wondering if another breakthru is right around the corner.

also, while i am at it, has anyone added another landing light for a ''wig wag'' effect? how do you like it?
 
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