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Landing/Taxi Lights & wee bits

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601zv(at)ritternet.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 3:52 pm Post subject: Landing/Taxi Lights & wee bits

Re: Landing light placement. I think the light location was chosen to allow 

for the long range tank installation. I have the two tanks per wing which 

prevents moving them inward. So, I'm betting that if you have the single 

inboard tanks, moving them inward is the most practical thing to do. It 

would move the weight a wee bit closer to CG, eliminate a we bit of wire, 

and probably make the lights a wee bit more effective, and perhaps some wee 

bits I'm overlooking. Are there any wee bits to favor the more outboard 

location?

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don.wentz(at)intel.com
Guest

Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 3:19 pm Post subject: Landing/Taxi Lights & wee bits

As the manufacturer of the LL kits for Van's Aircraft, I thought I would

throw in a few comments and reasons that I have found.



1 - Placing the leading-edge lights further outboard

	- Eliminates glare from the light hitting the prop disc,

surprisingly visible on a dark night

	- Helps illuminate the edges of the run/taxi ways

	- Does not 'violate' the "D-Section" of the wing leading edge at

an inboard location, where stresses are higher and 'could' be a

structural issue



2 - I usually recommend a single light be mounted in the left or pilot's

wing on side by side RVs, especially the taildraggers, as visibility

over the nose on the ground can be limited on the right side.  Not

likely an issue on the Zenith as the cowl is lower/narrower, most are

tricycle gear, so in the right wing makes some sense, except for the

possible benefit of the pilot being able to see the closest edge of a

dark taxiway on his left.



3 - We keep the opening in the top of the wing as small as possible -

you don't need or want light spreading up as it can be a

distraction/visibility issue in mist/haze/rain, especially if you try to

scan the horizon.



4 - Moving inboard 1 bay is not likely to cause an issue.



5 - Switching a 2 light setup with 2 switches is a good idea, more

flexibility.



6 - I ground everything to the airframe in my RV-6, 12 years and 925hrs

with no issues.



7 - Consider buying a $15 flasher from Galls Inc, flashing lights are

more visible.



Hope this helps.

Don Wentz

DuckworksAviation.com



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steveadams

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 191

Posted: Wed May 03, 2006 4:02 am Post subject: Re: Landing/Taxi Lights & wee bits

I agree with Don. Even with the outboard location on my 640, there is still some light reflected onto the prop when using the taxi light in the air. While it doesn't significantly decrease visibility, it is distracting on a dark night. The CG difference and weight savings of moving it in a bay or 2 would be negligible I think. By aiming the light carefully, you can get very good illumination of the runway while landing with the outboard location.

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