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Tkitchen1

Member
Hello all, I am about half way through the first wing. I would like to know the pro's and con's of wing tip VS leading edge landing lights. Thanks for any info
 
What, are you trying to start another never ending debate like the CS vs. FP or TW vs. NW or Tip-up vs. Slider...?

Do a quick search on the subject and you will find a bunch of threads on the subject.

The current debate is the type of light to use more than anything.

The consensus seems to be that the leading edge lights illuminate in front of the aircraft more. Whereas the wing tip lights are very focused out on the wings.

FWIW, I went with the leading edge lights because they will be easier to upgrade once LED's are available at a reasonable price/performance point. Even thought I think the wingtip lights look cool, I went with easy upgrade and better light dispersion pattern over aesthetics.
 
I also went with the leading edge landing lights. It didn't look like lights in the tips could be angled inboard far enough to light up the runway close in (25ft-50ft). Guess I could have cut openings in the tips like the leading edge but then I would have had to reinforce the tips. Also, since I went with the AEROLEDS (not trying to start anything) I needed to purchase a lense so again the leading edge was easier. Just purchased replacement lenses from Van's. I think the newer 7 tips were made to allow some inward aiming but I
don't think that the 9 tips have been changed. YMMV
 
Btw, if you go with the leading edge lights and don't go with a Duckworks (good lights!), Duckworks does sale the 'kit' for their leading edge lights which includes a cross brace between the wing ribs and the lens. You can find it here:

http://www.duckworksav.com/InstallKits.html

I prefer the leading edge lights as it gives me plenty of room on the wingtips for the nav lights and strobes. Don't have to try and squeeze it all in.
 
One thing to consider is the beam angle of the lights available in each configuration. The consensus is that you want a spot beam (say a 12 degree dispersion angle) to give you long range lighting in the landing phase, while a wider dispersion angle is better for a taxi light.

I'm not sure bulbs are available for the wingtip lights in a spot beam configuration. You'll probably want to verify this before taking it as the gospel...
 
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