New LED PAR-36 from Whelen

[Jeff Argersinger]

The general aviation community has been requesting a product with the same geometry as a standard PAR-36 lamp. Other options are available, but cannot be installed without major modification to existing mounting brackets and hardware. The new Whelen Parmetheus? is currently the best solution available in a direct fit replacement for existing 100W PAR-36 lamps. It utilizes the same construction and technology that is used on the landing and taxi lights Whelen has certified for the Gulfstream 650, Hawker 987 series jets, Sikorsky & Bell helicopters.

LIST price $475, available factory direct for $399. Product available to order this week via web portal. Deliveries beginning end of March.

http://www.whelen.com/pb/Aviation/Product Sheets/Parmetheus_Flyer.pdf

How bright are they.....

GE publishes 110,000 candelas for the 4509 lamp. This is skewed due to the fact that amount of light is in a very small ?cone?, and severely degrades over a very short period of time. Internal Whelen testing has indicated, out of the box, some lamps produced only 88,000 beam candela, and all showed approx. 20% decrease in light output within 10 hours. The GE 4509 is rated at 25 hours LAB Life. The new Whelen LED landing light produces over 20,000 hours of consistent light output exceeding 40,000 beam candela and produces a much larger cone of visible light further increasing the level of safety. Also available as a taxi light as well with 13,500 beam candella.

Jeff Argersinger
Whelen Engineering

 

[FresnoR]

What brand/type/size LED is used in the replacement lamp? Am i correct when it looks like there are 12 of them?

 

[Jeff Argersinger]

What brand/type/size LED is used in the replacement lamp? Am i correct when it looks like there are 12 of them?

The LED's are Cree, and yes there are 12.

 

[Dan Blumel]

LED vs 4509

The general aviation community has been requesting a product with the same geometry as a standard PAR-36 lamp. Other options are available, but cannot be installed without major modification to existing mounting brackets and hardware. The new Whelen Parmetheus™ is currently the best solution available in a direct fit replacement for existing 100W PAR-36 lamps. It utilizes the same construction and technology that is used on the landing and taxi lights Whelen has certified for the Gulfstream 650, Hawker 987 series jets, Sikorsky & Bell helicopters.

LIST price $475, available factory direct for $399. Product available to order this week via web portal. Deliveries beginning end of March.

http://www.whelen.com/pb/Aviation/Product Sheets/Parmetheus_Flyer.pdf

How bright are they.....

GE publishes 110,000 candelas for the 4509 lamp. This is skewed due to the fact that amount of light is in a very small “cone”, and severely degrades over a very short period of time. Internal Whelen testing has indicated, out of the box, some lamps produced only 88,000 beam candela, and all showed approx. 20% decrease in light output within 10 hours. The GE 4509 is rated at 25 hours LAB Life. The new Whelen LED landing light produces over 20,000 hours of consistent light output exceeding 40,000 beam candela and produces a much larger cone of visible light further increasing the level of safety. Also available as a taxi light as well with 13,500 beam candella.

Jeff Argersinger
Whelen Engineering

If you cant produce more lumens than a GE 4509 then LED is not a very good LANDING LIGHT solution. Until you make a PAR-36 LED with good lumens per watt efficiency (Like more than 70 lumens per watt at the drive level used), HID is a far better solution. Also you need to produce at least close to 2000 lumens for it to make much sense. You also need to collimate the light very well (for useful distance) unless it only being used as a taxi light or for very slow landing aircraft with very short roll out capability.