My Super Cub wings are being rebuilt many miles away from me. I want to put LED strobe/navigation lights on the wing tips. Aeroleds have Pulsar NS and NSP lights available. You only use the NSP lights, that have a rearward facing light I understand, if that rearward facing light can be seen from the rear. So can a rearward facing light on my cub wings be seen from the rear (I frankly have never paid attention to that) or not? Are the position lights so far around the front part of the tip that they aren't visible from the rear? Or other words, do I order the NS or NSPs?
Wing tip lights
- Thread starter The Kid
- Start date
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
Best setup for a conventional tail is the standard nav and strobes on the wing tips and a white nav/strobe on the rudder. This will give the best view from most angles. The nav lights with the rear facing white lights were made for canard type aircraft. Besides Cubs already have mount points for all three of these lights.
Web
Web
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
That's a beacon. Considered an 'anti collision light' as per CAR 3. The white nav light on the rudder indicates the rear of the aircraft in the same manner as green and red indicate right and left wing tips.
Do you not have a white light on the rudder already?
Web
Do you not have a white light on the rudder already?
Web
I do have a white light on the rudder down about half way.
1. Could I put a LED white strobe in that spot? Seems like maybe Aeroled makes one? Would it be beneficial? Is it "hard" to do?
2. I really don't fly at night however. But I do want to be "seen" the best my budget and 8 amp alternator can do for me that is only really 6 amps at about 2300 rpm. I agree with a friend that says being "run over", from the rear, is really one of the most probably scenarios in a mid air collision as I only fly at about 80 mph true airspeed and a lot of planes fly at about twice that number. Whatdayathink?
1. Could I put a LED white strobe in that spot? Seems like maybe Aeroled makes one? Would it be beneficial? Is it "hard" to do?
2. I really don't fly at night however. But I do want to be "seen" the best my budget and 8 amp alternator can do for me that is only really 6 amps at about 2300 rpm. I agree with a friend that says being "run over", from the rear, is really one of the most probably scenarios in a mid air collision as I only fly at about 80 mph true airspeed and a lot of planes fly at about twice that number. Whatdayathink?
Gordon Misch
MEMBER
Toledo, Wa (KTDO)
If you want both a position light (the white light on the tail) and a strobe you'll need two circuits to the tail. However, could wire it so that strobe always comes on with position light. Using an LED system, I'd think the amperage might not be much?
bob turner
Registered User
But would you want a strobe on while taxiing at night? Even in the daytime I get flicker vertigo from those school Cherokees who have to run strobes all the time. An extra wire is not that difficult.
Gordon Misch
MEMBER
Toledo, Wa (KTDO)
Agreed, and good point.
He said he's not flying at night, but that might not have anything to do with the pertinent regs.:???:
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
Stay with LED lights for the low current draw. Several manufacturer's make a combination strobe and white tail nav light assembly. With a little creativity you can mount them in the stock nav light location.
Web
Steve Pierce
BENEFACTOR
Graham, TX
The Super Cub I am building now has Pulsar NS in the stock Piper brackets on the wings and the Suntail in the rudder and the Whelen LED beacon on the stock mount on the late model rudder.
Copied and pasted from the last thread you started about wingtip lights. 
http://www.supercub.org/forum/showthread.php?54603-Wig-wag-wing-tip-strobes
http://www.supercub.org/forum/showthread.php?54603-Wig-wag-wing-tip-strobes
I am trying to be "seen' and at the same time rebuild to a 1050 lb 160 hp cub (no starter or starter ring, generator or big battery will all help). So weight matters for sure. BUT I also want to be "seen" especially at non towered airports and by the DRONE folks who think there are no AGL limits. So I think I will put switches to everything and put the Aeroled Pulsar NS on the wing tips and their Suntail on the back of the rudder and I already have a LED Whelen red beacon light on top of the tail now. I will also add an Aeroled flood landing light at top of the center of the cabane vee vs one in each wing that would add more weight and cost. Any suggestions I can solicit the better. As in lighting, I am not the brightest bulb out there!
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
If you're going to run with no starter, eliminate the whole flywheel. Easiest way to do it and keep your timing marks, is to find an unserviceable flywheel. Take it to a machine shop and have it turned down until there is only the center left, the same diameter as the prop flange. Then have them transfer the timing marks from the backside of the flywheel to the edge of that piece that's left. Minimal weight and check timing by sighting down the split line of the crankcase to the marks on the edge of the disc. Also uses stock prop bolts.
When wiring the nav/strobe lights, use three conductor shielded wire. One conductor for each nav power, strobe power, synch, and use the shield braid as ground. Easy to connect to switch breakers for power and it gets the grounds out of wings/rudder and into the fuselage.
Web
When wiring the nav/strobe lights, use three conductor shielded wire. One conductor for each nav power, strobe power, synch, and use the shield braid as ground. Easy to connect to switch breakers for power and it gets the grounds out of wings/rudder and into the fuselage.
Web
Tgskillskill
FRIEND
Fairbanks, AK
If I buy a set of Whelan Orion 650's for each wing, an AeroLED Suntail, and run the sync between the three. What strobe flash pattern will I get? I know the Orions are an on/off strobe, and that the AeroLED Pulsars/strobe pattern is the rapid fire. Is their Suntail also the rapid fire, or would it match the on/off of the Orions?
Might anyone know?
Thanks,
Jeff
Might anyone know?
Thanks,
Jeff
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
I don't see a specific mention of a rapid fire pattern in the specs. Either way, I doubt it would matter even if synch'd with the Orions. Why not just use the Orion 500 tail light?
Web
Web
Tgskillskill
FRIEND
Fairbanks, AK
I'm not opposed to the Whelan 500 tail, and that's what I was going to go with at first glance. Then, found some other posts about it not being as plug and play as a Suntail would be, as far as fitting into the existing hole on a super cub rudder.
After watching countless youtube vids for comparison of all the options available, I think I prefer the on/off of the Whelan 650 strobes. Maybe it's not that big of a deal to wallow out the existing hole to accept the Whelan and keep all the same manufacturer.
After watching countless youtube vids for comparison of all the options available, I think I prefer the on/off of the Whelan 650 strobes. Maybe it's not that big of a deal to wallow out the existing hole to accept the Whelan and keep all the same manufacturer.
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
Is your rudder stripped down right now or does it have fabric on?
Web
Web
Tgskillskill
FRIEND
Fairbanks, AK
Fabric on.
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
Extra fun then.
Use a piece of 20 gauge, three conductor, shielded wire for the nav/strobe combo. It has the effect of routing in one wire instead of three or four separate wires. Otherwise, as you've been told, just carefully fit the unit to the mount.
Web
Use a piece of 20 gauge, three conductor, shielded wire for the nav/strobe combo. It has the effect of routing in one wire instead of three or four separate wires. Otherwise, as you've been told, just carefully fit the unit to the mount.
Web
Steve Pierce
BENEFACTOR
Graham, TX
I was putting together an order today for the AeroLED Pulsar NS and Suntail. I installed them on the last build and liked them. Whelen rubbed me the wrong way and AeroLED has been great to work with.
Tgskillskill
FRIEND
Fairbanks, AK
Thanks Web and Steve for your insight.
What's everyone's consensus on brightness? the Pulsar NS or Orion 650's brighter, same-same?..
What's everyone's consensus on brightness? the Pulsar NS or Orion 650's brighter, same-same?..
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
Kind of subjective, but find a spec on lumens or candelas. Higher that number the brighter the light was as measured by a test rig. Poor mans way is to use the light that has the highest current draw. If all else is equal (such as number of LEDs and mounting pattern) the higher current draw should produce a brighter light.
Web
Web
Charlie Longley
MEMBER
Anchorage, AK
Yep like others have said AeroLED has a great product and customer service! I’ll probably set my Super Cub project up with their stuff.
Ken Robbins
Registered User
Petaluma, CA & Kasilof, AK
I have a 185C project that we took over as a "custom" build that fell flat, has about every combo of light mods I can imagine previously partially installed. Not all the AeroLED series play together well and none of the Whelen plays with the AeroLED at all at this point. Combined with dual landing/taxi lights (both wings) and wing tip landing flood lights that all pulse, this thing is a vertigo bomb. Haven't given up hope yet but we may have to do some creative switching to make it safe. We're right on the edge of STC's defeating each other (if not there now).
AeroLED has been great in helping, Whelen not so much.
All in all, I would say overkill is possible. Best to choose a good package and install it well.
Ken
It’s overkill until you’re are flying around a congested area where more people than not have their heads down twisting knobs on their video game panel and out of the corner of their eye pickup your spaceship lights. I’ll take disco ball lights over not being seen;-)
G44
MEMBER
SW Michigan
wireweinie
FOUNDER
Palmer, AK
That's what on/off switches are for. Keep each light/system on it's own control switch and choose what to turn on or off and when to do it. Great example of why you don't put two systems on one switch, i.e. nav lights and strobes on same switch. Any time you may need to switch off the strobes is going to be the time you want to keep the navs on.
Web
Seaworthy
FOUNDER
