Opinions on LED Landing Lights, Flashing, TSO, non-TSO, Radio Noise

Rewiring the Cub (certified) and now into the planning of the landing lights. My mission is this; I rarely fly at night and never to public use airports. All floats and skis. My primary use of landing lights is visibility in flight. My plan was installing a light(s) in the right wing (exact copy of the Pa-18 left wing duel light) and use a Pulselight to sequence flash a light in each wing. I could install two lights (landing and taxi) in each wing using one in each wing as sequence flashers and the others as landing lights if I was to ever need them.
Prices for some of the TSO'd, PMA's, STC'd etc. LED landing lights are scary high. I have read these FAA approvals are not required for "light bulbs". Not sure if there is any documentation from the FAA that the install of non-approved LED lights is allowed for direct replacement. I know of many non-approved LED landing lights flying around out there and the only complaint I've heard is radio noise. Anyone know if the approved lights are better with radio noise and/or recommendations on filtering the noise for the non-approved ones? Are these prices I'm seeing for "light bulbs" realistic?

I use non-certified led’s on my planes. The silly price of certified is unreal. No radio noise, no problems. There are other options for certified, like the salvage yard. A few years ago when I was pricing led’s, I found a supplier that would sell a 4509 size for $5. Minimum order was for 50. I went a different route. Be careful what you buy if you go uncertified.

Non-certified (Whelen), no radio noise, but I'm experimental (the plane).

Not sure how one could get radio noise out a an LED since the power draw is so low. I can't even tell via amp's output when they are on.

Landing lights are not required equipment. There is no TSO for landing lights, and the typical 4509 bulbs are just commercial bulbs any how. I don’t see any reason for not using any PAR 36 bulb. Now once a bulb is installed, then you still need to do appropriate EMI tests to be sure you don’t have interference.


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You definitely can get terrible radio noise from LED lights. It comes from the cheap power supplies. Trust me, I know from experience. I just got this fixed a few months on my experimental. I used a kit sold for the RV guys, made my own bracket, even installed their super simple wig wag. Absolutely no noise. Didn’t even had to add a switch to activate the wig wag.

No 'certification' requirements as per CAR 3. If you want to flash them, I suggest the MaxPulse controller. Expensive but very small and works up to approximately 12 amps. Remember that if you flash lights mounted close together they should flash on/off together as from a distance, your eye won't see the pulsing if they flash alternating. Alternating works well if the lights are mounted on opposite wings.
If you buy a cheap light and it makes noise, it was cheap and should be easy to replace with another model. Rarely had TSO'd LEDs make noise.

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I have flashing leds on my Cub, my radio has a ANL switch
on it, but even with limiter on the noise from leds comes right over it. My Mags don't have filters but I have no problem with mag noise, but my LEDS are another story,
VERY brite, 9 quick snaps then they rest for sec, then 9 more. Poor ground on radio?

aeroaddict said:

Not sure how one could get radio noise out a an LED since the power draw is so low. I can't even tell via amp's output when they are on.

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LEDs are 5 volt and the power supply as posted can be the noise culprit.

I have run these for a while and installed one spot and one flood. All my wing wiring is original 1972. I run them when I want to be seen and the only time I get any noise is when I use the monitor frequency feature on my Trig TY91 radio. Turn lights off the slight click goes away or the same if I quit monitoring the second frequency.

I guess I'm missing something here, my landing light and Nav/Strobe are run thru a breaker switch and no power box.

The power adapter is built into the light, some are cheap, some better quality and switching power from 12 volts to 5 volts and switching that power on and off rapidly.

Thanks Steve.

I've used PAR 36 LED landing lights in 2 of my planes. No issues at all. Also installed LED tip and tail lights in both of my current planes. I used the same LED tail light in both planes. In the 14V plane, it works fine and is noise free. In the plane with the 28V system, I had to swap the LED tail light back out for incandescent due to radio noise. It's kind of a trial and error thing, but I've only had one issue out of a significant number of LED lights and landing lights I've used.

-Cub Builder

Cub Builder said:

I've used PAR 36 LED landing lights in 2 of my planes. No issues at all. Also installed LED tip and tail lights in both of my current planes. I used the same LED tail light in both planes. In the 14V plane, it works fine and is noise free. In the plane with the 28V system, I had to swap the LED tail light back out for incandescent due to radio noise. It's kind of a trial and error thing, but I've only had one issue out of a significant number of LED lights and landing lights I've used.

-Cub Builder

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What model tail light was that?

Web

It was an inexpensive W2.1x9.5d (Glass Wedge) base LED purchased through SuperBrightLEDs.com. Model# was 921-WHP10. Before you say it's cheap and I shouldn't expect it to be good, I had also purchased some really nice PAR36 landing lights from the same sight that worked really well. I was OK with it not working as it didn't cost much. The internal power on it seemed to be good with the 14V system, but unhappy on the 28V system even though it was rated for 10 - 30 V.

-Cub Builder

I’d like to point out that while there is no TSO for landing lights, there is a TSO for navigation lights, and each navigation light model has as part of the TSO, the specific bulb that is approved as part of the TSO. The bulb itself may not be a TSO item, but part of the overall TSO approval, so unless the LED bulb is PMAd for the specific nav light assembly, using it would technically be a violation.

That said, my tail nav light will have an LED bulb (1157 replacement with the bright side connected to the landing light flasher) and I’ll have Uavionix SkyBeacon on one wing (STC), and SkySensor (field approval) on the other. The tail light and Sky Sensor aren’t TSO, but they are on a field approval.


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dgapilot said:

I’d like to point out that while there is no TSO for landing lights, there is a TSO for navigation lights, and each navigation light model has as part of the TSO, the specific bulb that is approved as part of the TSO. The bulb itself may not be a TSO item, but part of the overall TSO approval, so unless the LED bulb is PMAd for the specific nav light assembly, using it would technically be a violation.

That said, my tail nav light will have an LED bulb (1157 replacement with the bright side connected to the landing light flasher) and I’ll have Uavionix SkyBeacon on one wing (STC), and SkySensor (field approval) on the other. The tail light and Sky Sensor aren’t TSO, but they are on a field approval.


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Both of my planes are Experimental, so I Experiment. I care about function; not so much for pricey paperwork or costly approvals. :lol:

-Cub Builder

Cub Builder said:

Both of my planes are Experimental, so I Experiment. I care about function; not so much for pricey paperwork or costly approvals. :lol:

-Cub Builder

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I hear you with that, but . . . Your op limits for night say you need equipment that meets 91.205 (c). 91.205 (c)(2) says “approved position lights”.

As a DAR, I’ve overlooked this, but have been sure to point it out to the owner as 91 is an operating rule, and if the owner chooses to violate it, it’s not my problem.


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dgapilot said:

I hear you with that, but . . . Your op limits for night say you need equipment that meets 91.205 (c). 91.205 (c)(2) says “approved position lights”.

As a DAR, I’ve overlooked this, but have been sure to point it out to the owner as 91 is an operating rule, and if the owner chooses to violate it, it’s not my problem.

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My local DAR told me the same thing... I elected to keep the "traditional" strobes that came on my airplane instead of replacing them with LED position lights that would have been "non-approved."

I did, however, elect to replace the "WalMart special" incandescent bulb landing light with an excellent LED "light cluster" from an off-road supplier. But it was at least partially because I could not find the right size "flashlight bulb" to replace the burned out bulb in the original one... But mostly because the old "landing light" worked about as well as holding a candle out the window... Visible from at maybe 10 feet away in the daytime! The LED system, by comparison, is flame thrower, and I can leave it on all the time without worrying about the drain on the electrical system.