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Single light in each wing

ddriggs

Registered User
Ak
I’m planning on installing just a single light in each wing of their -18? Any parts info, hardware list or pictures/drawings floating around? Thanks
 
You’d likely have to fabricate a single light “bucket” to hold the lights, since I think all the Pipers had the two light mounts.

At least some Maules used a single light in each wing. You might call some salvage yards or Maule itself and see if you can find some mounts. Those should be pretty easy to adapt to a cub wing.

MTV
 
Take the double light, cut it in half and fabricate a new side piece duplicating pipers. Piper took out a nose rib when they installed the light. Reinstall a nose rib and attach the light bucket the same way piper did. Get an un trimmed landing light plexi and cut in half. Make the side and top and bottom strips just like piper did. Trim the leading edge like piper but to match the new single light. Minor mod in my eyes, if your duplicating pipers design


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Baja Designs S2 Pro. Just a few ounces each and 2”x3”. 2500 lumen. One on each strut wired into a MaxPulse switch.
 

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This kit from Aircraft Spruce has single mounts. It's what I used when I mounted single landing lights on either side on my Cub Clone.

<https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/leadedgelandlitekit.php?clickkey=65215>
 
See what Raisedbywolves wrote in post #4

If you read the parts manual, in the section that shows 'landing light installation', it has a good breakdown. You can get actual Piper parts that mount each individual light. The only piece you may have to fabricate is a plexiglass lense. Even then you may be able to just cut down an original lense. If you don't like the incandescent lamps from the original assembly just use LED lamps instead as they bolt into the same brackets.

Web
 
Experimental here, so built my own. The first lights we installed were some cheap cube lights from an auto parts store. TERRIBLE radio noise. Tried everything to quiet them down, nothing worked. Found these light kits the RV guys are using. Guaranteed no interference... so ordered up two and built my own mount. Fits right in the wing with no issues. I redesigned the mount to fit two lights on each side down the road. They even have a super simple wig/wag module that’s actually a reasonable cost.60C9E209-50B7-4E1D-9E54-6E0DC12B8073.jpg
 

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The company that makes the parts is called FlyLEDS out of Australia.
I purchased the parts from Flyboyaccessories here in the US. They make other LED light configurations, I just didn’t want to invest too much money until I could verify that the lights didn’t cause radio interference. If I’d do it over again, I’d purchase their dual light module, or if your wing opening is wide enough, their three light module.

The lights are small but very powerful. Also, their wig/wag module works without needing a separate switch to activate it, so it was a simple installation. It still allows landing light operation or wig/wag.
 
I elected to install a factory two light set up in each wing. If you use LED bulbs there is a weight savings that almost pays for the extra fixture. Done like this you can have one in each wing pointed in a 'taxi' plane, and one pointed in a landing plane. Anyone who has ever actually landed a cub on big tires / gear much on a moonless light or unlit strip can attest to the fact that a single plane of light will not work well for the entire landing / flare sequence. It willl be a compromise at best.


Also in todays day and age of LED popularity, many people get caught up in Lumens. Lumens are a great measure of power for those looking for light to be seen with. Candlepower is a far more meaningful measure for those who want to see what is up ahead.


Oversimplified, Lumens is the total amount of light your fixture is putting out. While Candlepower is the light measured at a given spot. And to expand on that, a bulb of higher Candlepower will provide more 'reach out there' every time. A bulb of higher Lumens may, but in my experience rarely does, unless the reflector is specifically designed to do so. Working under high power lights all night long and having the ability to test as much as possible, I have yet to find a PAR46 or PAR64 (these are much larger than cub sized lights) LED that comes even remotely close to old Quart bulb. Ya, sure. Sit them on the ground and any of the quality LED bulbs appear to be brighter than the incandescents, and lumen wise they are in fact. Run the go-go meter up to 150 MPH, and they turn in to candles at best, and the old Q bulbs begin to really shine. Pardon the puns :lol:

I'm sure plenty of LED fans will not agree with any of that.... and I'm OK with that. As with anything aircraft wise, you will always be better off selecting per your mission, and currently the certified aviation world has a hole in the market for 'reach out there' LED lighting in the sizes I mentioned above. Experimental wise? I imagine there are endless possibilities to try.


Take care, Rob
 
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I had one of those "Moonbeam" quartz-halogen lights on a Grumman Traveler I used to own. The light output was absolutely amazing – during the brief periods when it actually worked. The power module had to be replaced twice, and the bulb had to be replaced once. Each time, it took several months to get the specialty items from the manufacturer to be "legal." I'd guess the landing light system was truly operational about 10% of the time. But it was fantastic when it worked!

Nowadays, I'm in the LED camp for my experimental. I don't fly a whole lot at night, but want recognition lighting that I can leave on all the time. The available quartz-halogen lights I found drew way too much power for my little Rotax generator. There are lots of "high-output, low amperage" LED solutions available in the off-road community. My specific solution is somewhat irrelevant, as it was purchased in part for the ability to fit in the cowling inlet where the old "flashlight bulb" WalMart special "running light" was located. That old landing light fixture had it all: drew nearly 5 amps, was barely visible from 50 feet away, and used amazingly expensive bulbs. (Hard to find those old incandescent flashlight bulbs these days...) I'm pretty happy to see it gone!
 
I'm thinking a two bulb (taxi/landing) fixture in each wing with a "wig wag" system from one wing to the other would be pretty useful.

My old Cessna 140 had a gear driven light that would descend out of the bottom of the wing. Can't remember the brand name. I used that plane to get my license. I didn't get signed off for night flight, as I could either use the radio or the light. There wasn't enough juice for both. Holding a D-cell maglight out the window would have been just about as bright. But I thought it was cool !

Jim
 
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