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Forward white light choice UK

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JonathanMilbank

Joined: 14 Apr 2012
Posts: 388
Location: Aberdeen area

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 1:18 am Post subject: Forward white light choice UK

I'm thinking of installing a forward facing white light for conspicuity purposes and would appreciate your advice. It seems that LED is what I need to meet the requirements of low current drain, brightness and preferably small frontal area. It will never need to provide illumination for landing in poor daylight or dusk.



While I'm sure that the choice is great in the USA, I'd rather not have to import and therefore I'm addressing my question to the UK pilot fraternity (and sorority as well).



A friend advises me to avoid those LED lights which state that they can cope with a wide voltage range, due to having active electronics which might cause a little radio interference. Perhaps another factor is that the light should be a "softer" white than the extreme whiteness of some LEDs which might be less visible on a bright day. Maybe!

Roland

Joined: 30 Nov 2009
Posts: 334
Location: EDLE

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 2:45 am Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

Jonathan,



I had a forward facing ACL installed in my XS-cowl just below the spinner. It costed me 370 Euro and worked for about one year. Replaced it with the same model and that broke after another year for whatever reason (the manufacturer suspected cooling issues, although it had a seperate cooling inlet).



Now I changed to the other extreme and installed a conventional 20 W chinese-made model (4 LED without cooling inlet) for 8 Euro inclusive  shipping(!) and this works flawlessly for half a year now - no interferences.



Maybe I had just bad luck with the expensive one - maybe.... 



That said, I still think, that a forward facing ACL is a nice thing to have from a safety point of view.



Regards

Roland

PH-ZTI

XS TG 914

JonathanMilbank

Joined: 14 Apr 2012
Posts: 388
Location: Aberdeen area

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 3:59 am Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

Roland, I'm very interested especially at 8 Euros. More details of suppliers please.



Thanks,

Jonathan

JonathanMilbank

Joined: 14 Apr 2012
Posts: 388
Location: Aberdeen area

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 4:01 am Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

The other light which would interest me is a replacement for my old Filser glider strobe. Surely after 20 years since it was fitted, both battery and strobe technology have moved on and the gliding world might now be benefitting from brighter flashing equipment which doesn't drain their batteries any quicker. Ideally any replacement should fit the same hole which the Filser occupies on top of my tail fin.



When I was flying professionally I noticed that one of our rival companies saw fit to install strobes which "double-flashed" on the same type of aircraft as I flew. That stood out and caught the eye immensely better than only a single flash.

Roland

Joined: 30 Nov 2009
Posts: 334
Location: EDLE

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 4:46 am Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

I've installed this one now (integrated also between spinner and cooling inlet - see picture): https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01MECTX01/ref=pe_386171_37038021_TE_3p_dp_1



My ACL http://thiesen-electronics.com/en/index.php?page=lichter/acl3.html (also LED) sits on top of the fuselage behind the tank breathing pipes.

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JonathanMilbank

Joined: 14 Apr 2012
Posts: 388
Location: Aberdeen area

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 5:03 am Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

Many thanks Roland. I admire your enclosed trailer to accommodate a tri-gear Europa. Perhaps I'll modify my old enclosed trailer which was built for a mono-wheel.



Jonathan

graeme bird

Joined: 15 Jul 2010
Posts: 434

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 9:27 am Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

For UK, there seems to be only one approved MOD to fit a light 13072 (even though others are flying around), I submitted a MOD2 form to fit an LED one (a jeep light) 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2Pcs-10W-Cree-LED-Off-road-Spot-Flash-Head-Light-Lamp-for-Bike-Car-Jeep-12V-32V-/261826855985



Which looks like my MX5 spot lights. However, I have rolled over and proposed to the LAA that it may be easier to do a repeat mod of 13072 than to get approval for a new lamp. There are a couple of others putting head light Mods through, one with lights in the outrigger brackets and another with the light embedded in the GRP under the air inlet. They are both at the MOD3 stage I believe. 

I have also put a MOD2 form in for own designed combined resin potted LED nav/stobe lights in the same form factor as the airworld strobes and a tail light on the tail wheel cross member. I havent heard anything back on these for a while.

_________________
Graeme Bird
kit4 (Wagstaff) TBD
Kit3 G-CLXU (Gregory) mono 914 xs Woodcomp
Kit2 G-PATS - (kesterton) Mono Classic 912 warpdrive
Kit 1 G-UMPY - Mono Classic/XS 912S, Woodcomp G(@)gdbmk.co.uk

JonathanMilbank

Joined: 14 Apr 2012
Posts: 388
Location: Aberdeen area

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 10:29 am Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

Goodness! It hadn't even occurred to me that mod approval would be needed for this. To my way of thinking, such a small addition should be between the owner and his inspector. Ah well, I'll just give up that ambition and hope that other aircraft see my strobe light in good time.



In fact because my strobe's on top of the fin it should be visible in all azimuth directions, therefore the head lamp is superfluous provided that the strobe's bright enough, which mine isn't! So now the search is on to find the brightest and best value for money fin-mounted strobe. The Microavionics MM031 has my interest at the moment, but I'm open to other suggestions.



Many thanks.

Remi Guerner

Joined: 14 Dec 2010
Posts: 284

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2017 11:58 pm Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

Jonathan,

As most general aviation products come from the US and importing is very easy, deciding not to buy from them is a strange idea! 

I have installed a Kuntzleman LTR LED light (US made, sorry!) in the lower starboard air intake (which is useful for 914 installations only). I turn it on all the time from take off to landing as long as I am below about 3000 ft AGL. Cost 234 US dollars. Works fine after 3 1/2 years and 300 flying hours. No interference.

Remi

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JonathanMilbank

Joined: 14 Apr 2012
Posts: 388
Location: Aberdeen area

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 1:15 am Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

Remi, once again I stand guilty of a lack of joined-up thinking when I started this thread. Actually what I really need is to improve conspicuity from all directions and a forward facing light isn't really necessary because I already have a strobe light on top of the fin. But it's a 20 year old low-powered Filser intended for gliders, which is how they described it.



So now my objective is to find a reasonably priced modern strobe which throws out bursts of intense flashes. Thanks anyway for your advice.

dpark748(at)icloud.com
Guest

Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:18 am Post subject: Forward white light choice UK

Roland,

Is your trailer home built from plans? Or from comercial builder?

Regards

Dave G-LDVO



Dave Park

 	  Quote: 	
		   On 29 Mar 2017, at 13:46, Roland <schmidtroland(at)web.de> wrote:

 

 

 

 I've installed this one now (integrated also between spinner and cooling inlet - see picture): https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01MECTX01/ref=pe_386171_37038021_TE_3p_dp_1

 

 My ACL http://thiesen-electronics.com/en/index.php?page=lichter/acl3.html (also LED) sits on top of the fuselage behind the tank breathing pipes.

 

 

 

 

 Read this topic online here:

 

 http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=467796#467796

 

 

 

 

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Roland

Joined: 30 Nov 2009
Posts: 334
Location: EDLE

Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2017 9:12 pm Post subject: Re: Forward white light choice UK

Hello Dave,



my trailer is commercial built http://www.anschau.de/english-version/



Regards

Roland

PH-ZTI

XS TG 914

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