Citabria strobe/beacon installation?

[bob turner]

I would ask this over on the Citabria forum, but cannot remember my password. They are blocking any new password, because I am already in use. What a friendly group!

Anyway, we want to make a 7ECA night flight worthy, and need an approved beacon or strobe location. The Whelen wingtips are on the type cert, and that is an expensive option, but a single strobe or beacon would have to get the rectangular hangar test - and after reading the 43-13 description of how to do that, I just know the labor would be about triple the cost of the Whelen strobes.

This is no doubt the same problem that a Cub would have - is the Cub approved for a single fuselage mounted beacon? Is that ugly thing on top of the rudder compliant with that incredibly hard to understand shadow test?

[kevin]

I have a friend who has a beacon/strobe on his Citabria. It is on the top of the fuselage. It is LED. I know this because his is the first one I've ever seen. It is bright.

[skywagon8a]

Bob
From the back of my memory bank I seem to recall that the Citabrias have a square of aluminum mounted on the top just behind the aft cabin wall. It is attached between and to the two top stringers. If you are careful you could slide a piece of aluminum between the fabric and the stringers or bend some flanges to attach to the stringers. Mount the beacon to the center of the square.

[P.o.P]

Bob

There are other ways to go about this.

AeroFlash also makes a Tip Strobe kit that costs less than Whelen.

It is NOT STC'd for ALL aircraft though.

I have obtained Field Approvals on PA-28's; no Citabrias though.


The Flight Strobe 4400 ( made by Univair) is a single unit strobe.

By mounting one on top of the fuselage & one below ( Boot Cowl ?) you should have ample "field of coverage".



AC 43.13 might make it more complicated than need be.

At one time I was under the impression that you actually drew the patterns on the wall.

Finally I realized that if I can SEE the light then it means the light IS in fact getting there.

Turn it ON & walk around the hangar.

[Patrol Guy]

Bob, You are right about the citabria site...that is why I am here now instead.

[bob turner]

Thanks guys. This is the only info I have uncovered. Owner decided on the wingtip strobes, so there will be no counting of squares on hangar walls, followed by complicated computations that may or may not satisfy the feds.

Now I am wondering about whether that fin-mounted ugly thing on the Super Cubs was ever considered legal? The wings cast a pretty big shadow!

[skywagon8a]

That big ugly thing on the Super Cubs has been there since before those regulations were thought up.

[bob turner]

The decision is made - wingtip strobes. Whelen - $725. Aeroflash - $298. Am I looking at double the quality for double the price? Assuming I can get a field approval, which ought to be easy.

On the big ugly thing - I have the feeling that the new regs apply. Originally the Super Cub could be flown without flashing beacons, then they added that requirement in the 1960's, and then, long afterward, invented three categories of installations with differing requirements, all retroactive, apparently.

[12 Geezer]

Wheelen is STC'd. Dunno whether that matters????

[StewartB]

To some guys anti-collision lighting is there to comply with FAA regulations. To me it's to promote another pilot's recognition that I'm there. The fin top lights represent the most effective single light location. Not the best recognition scheme out there, but it should achieve minimum compliance for the least money, which seems to be your priority. The Whelen 70509 self-contained flasher is hard to beat in the "ugly thing" location. I have one on the Cessna. But I also have wingtip and tail cone strobes. The "ugly thing" fin top light on my -12 is a full-blown strobe to accent the wingtip strobes. You fly yours, I'll fly mine. I'll bet you the other guy will see me first. That's the point, isn't it?

In my opinion? The slower the airplane the more important the aft facing recognition lighting is.

Requirements apparently vary with age of the aircraft original TC.

http://www.whelen.com/_AVIATION/systemrec.php

Stewart

[skywagon8a]

Don't forget that the requirements are for flying at night. If you only want it for daytime recognition and never care about flying after sunset the requirements would not be as strict. You could basically put them anywhere.