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Landing/taxi lights

C

Coling955

Member
Has anyone tried putting a landing light in one wing tip and a taxiing light in the other? I'm working on a low budget LED lighting solution but I won't be able to fit both a taxi and landing light in one tip. I've never landed an RV at night so I'm a bit unsure on this subject.
 
Yes, there have been all kinds of combinations of landing and taxi lights installed. In wingtips, leading edges, cowlings, etc. It's really just up to you.
 
FlyLed

My RV7A with Batwing tips originally had the landing light in one wing tip and the taxi in the other (halogen lights). I found that it took both lights to adequately see the taxiway reflectors (unlighted taxiway). Just one light was totally inadequate for night taxi operations and both lights together didn’t provide safe lighting for night landings. Four years ago I changed my halogen lights to an LED system that significantly improved illumination but because the LED lights were buried inside the wingtip where the old halogen lights were previously located (space issue) a lot of the illumination improvements were lost to obstruction.

This last year I upgraded to FlyLed lights with a wigwag switch. Now my light switch has two positions - wigwag and landing. There is no taxi light position. Frankly I like this approach. The FlyLed three light module has two bright landing lights and one bright but dispersed illumination taxi light in each wing tip. A lot of trimming was required to make everything fit but eventually it did.

If I can fit the FlyLed three light taxi/landing light module plus strobe and position light module in my Batwing tips (admittedly it’s tight) I’m sure you can fit this system into your wingtip setup. This system definitely gives the most illumination I’ve ever seen from a wingtip lightning setup. Consider this approach. I only wish I’d done it sooner - the wigwag lights significantly improved daytime visibility.
 
I personally think landing lights are optional for a lighted runway (and here in the US, so does the FAA). OTOH, I have been to my share of small airports at night where the taxiways are really dark, and you just can’t have enough taxi lights. Like Jim (above) I have upgraded to FlyLEDs, which are a significant improvement to my original stock lights.
 
Hi Colin

We have several lighting solutions for tail dragger aircraft that have a tilted light on each wing, so rather than aiming one light straight ahead and the other light low, you get lots of light aimed correctly for landing on both wings, and taxi lights again on both sides of the plane.

The Flyleds The Works kit is recognized as a "repeat mod" with the LAA.

There's lots of information on our website:
 
Both...

In the -7's I have built, I put the brightest PAR 36 bulb I could find in a Duckworks leading edge mount. Currently, I have WAT (nee Whelen) Parmetheus G3's in Landing (Left Wing) and Taxi (Right Wing) configuration. They are plenty bright for landing and taxi ops in the darkest (read: No lighting) environments.
 
bjdecker said:
In the -7's I have built, I put the brightest PAR 36 bulb I could find in a Duckworks leading edge mount. Currently, I have WAT (nee Whelen) Parmetheus G3's in Landing (Left Wing) and Taxi (Right Wing) configuration. They are plenty bright for landing and taxi ops in the darkest (read: No lighting) environments.
Click to expand...

Is Duckworks still in business? People are telling me they closed a long time ago.
 
Their website seems to be current. I ordered a replacement lens from them maybe six months ago and got it in a timely manner.
 
carbheat said:
Is Duckworks still in business? People are telling me they closed a long time ago.
Click to expand...

AKAIK -- google him. Note the website isn't HTTPS rather HTTP so your browser may pitch a fit about expired certificiates, piracy, hacking, end-of-days, etc.

Don Wentz, 503-310-5946
 
I am using the Flyleds lights, I have 2 lights angled for landing and 1 for taxi in each wing. It works great.
 
Coling955 said:
Has anyone tried putting a landing light in one wing tip and a taxiing light in the other? I'm working on a low budget LED lighting solution but I won't be able to fit both a taxi and landing light in one tip. I've never landed an RV at night so I'm a bit unsure on this subject.
Click to expand...

I never fly at night. I put the 4" off-road pod lights at the wing tip and wire them in wig-wag mode when the strobe is enable to improve visibility. When there is no strobe, they are constantly on and they function like taxi/landing lights. They are inexpensive and they are definitely brighter than the certificate incandescent lights.
 
Leading edge

I have leading edge duckworth LEDs, one for landing and the other for taxi.
 
BobTurner said:
You understand, no strobe required for daytime, but, if you do have a strobe, the FARs require you to use it (except for safety reasons).
Click to expand...

Can you show the FAR that states strobes must be used during daytime please?

Reason, I’ve never heard that before and darn near everyone at our airport is non-compliant.

If so, I’ll bring it up at the next EAA meeting.

Thanks.
 
Webb said:
Can you show the FAR that states strobes must be used during daytime please?

Reason, I’ve never heard that before and darn near everyone at our airport is non-compliant.

If so, I’ll bring it up at the next EAA meeting.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Far 91.209 (specifically paragraph b. Notice, paragraph a talks about night operations, paragraph b doesn’t limit itself to night, so it applies to both day and night.)

§ 91.209 Aircraft lights.
No person may:

(a) During the period from sunset to sunrise (or, in Alaska, during the period a prominent unlighted object cannot be seen from a distance of 3 statute miles or the sun is more than 6 degrees below the horizon)—

(1) Operate an aircraft unless it has lighted position lights;

(2) Park or move an aircraft in, or in dangerous proximity to, a night flight operations area of an airport unless the aircraft—

(i) Is clearly illuminated;

(ii) Has lighted position lights; or

(iii) is in an area that is marked by obstruction lights;

(3) Anchor an aircraft unless the aircraft—

(i) Has lighted anchor lights; or

(ii) Is in an area where anchor lights are not required on vessels; or

(b) Operate an aircraft that is equipped with an anticollision light system, unless it has lighted anticollision lights. However, the anticollision lights need not be lighted when the pilot-in-command determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off.
 
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BobTurner said:
You understand, no strobe required for daytime, but, if you do have a strobe, the FARs require you to use it (except for safety reasons).
Click to expand...

The wigwag + strobe is for visibility only. It is tough enough to navigate VFR in the busy airspace in SoCal. I always turn them on even at noon. Depending on what free time I have after I start flying the airplane, I am thinking of adding even more strobe light. I had too many close calls in the various uncontrolled airports when the pilots couldn't see the ancient strobes in the rentals while in the pattern. Another good excuse for more strobe is to prepare for the Rippon arrival into Oshkosh.
 
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Thanks Tom. Learned something today. It’s also amazing how many pilots must think that using stones during the daytime is not safe. :D

Let’s let this thread get back on track. The OP was looking for low budget lighting.

If he will tell us what his budget is, then advising would be centered more on what is is looking for.
 
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