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FlyLed ?The Works? plus AeroLED Sunspot

LR60

Active Member
Need advice for lighting the tail wheel model.

My initial plan is to go with Vans AeroLED for Landing lights and the FlyLeds nav/strobe kit. Now I?m thinking to get the FlyLeds ?the works? along with the AeroLED for added lighting. Seems this combo could provide downrange lighting as well as ?possible? feel in the dark spot in center. Is this worth the extra money or overkill?

Thanks!
 
I don't know anything about Flyleds, but I hear great things about them.

I am using AeroLeds all around and they are wow bright!
 
LEDs

I am using AeroSun LEDs in the landing light wing locations and the FlyLed wing/rudder strobe / nav light lit. Fun kit to build and install. Now we are very visible from a long way out. Have had multiple comments about visibility. I wired the AeroSun as wigwag on the landing light switch. Now I understand that FlyLEDs is going to have a retrofit circuit switcher to let me use the one switch for both landing or wigwag. Looking forward to installing that !!
 
Talk to the horses mouth

I would drop an email and have a chat before you make your call. He is very easy to deal with and will let you know your options.

In addition, no need to spend more than necessary and I am sure you will get all you need from FlyLeds for your lighting.

I did. :)

Need advice for lighting the tail wheel model.

My initial plan is to go with Vans AeroLED for Landing lights and the FlyLeds nav/strobe kit. Now I?m thinking to get the FlyLeds ?the works? along with the AeroLED for added lighting. Seems this combo could provide downrange lighting as well as ?possible? feel in the dark spot in center. Is this worth the extra money or overkill?

Thanks!
 
After flying for the past 9 years in my RV-7 with marginally acceptable 250W lights in the leading edges, I decided that I was going to light up the runway with my RV-14. One event that really struck home was when I was making a late evening landing at Calavaras County and ATIS had a warning about deer on the runway. My lights barely lit up the runway 20' in front of me, and there was no way I would see anything in time to avoid it.

At Oshkosh 2018, I purchased "The Works" wingtip nav/strobe/landing light combo from FlyLED, which includes 3 landing lights / 3600 lumens per wing. I built the kit and plugged it into my 3 amp power supply, it lit up my backyard light a UFO landing in Grand Central Park! And that was just one of the wingtips.

But the RV-14 has pre-cut leading edge light cutouts, and I couldn't possibly leave these areas empty. So a few months later, I bought a pair of the leading edge Combo landing/taxi lights. There's another 4800 lumens per wing, for a grand total of 16,800 lumens shining from the wingtips and the leading edge lights!

I just completed putting the second kit (the leading edge kit) together, and wired everything up to a power supply. I don't think I'll have to worry about seeing the runway on a dark night anymore! The total electrical load for all that sunshine is only 14 amps.
 
If you're looking for serious "light", AeroLed has a new light just announced, check out the specs:

Product Features
Highest Performing 14V PAR 36 LED landing light on the market
Power: 95W
14V System Requirement
11,000 Lumens
150,000 Candela
5 Year Warranty
PMA/STC Certified

Retail looks like $650, $700 with integrated wig-wag
 
If you're looking for serious "light", AeroLed has a new light just announced, check out the specs:

Product Features
Highest Performing 14V PAR 36 LED landing light on the market
Power: 95W
14V System Requirement
11,000 Lumens
150,000 Candela
5 Year Warranty
PMA/STC Certified

Retail looks like $650, $700 with integrated wig-wag

Walt,
I tried to find this light on their website, do you have the PN?
 
Then there's the Baja Designs XL-80. 80 watts, 9500 lumens at $400 retail.

Ed Holyoke

If you're looking for serious "light", AeroLed has a new light just announced, check out the specs:

Product Features
Highest Performing 14V PAR 36 LED landing light on the market
Power: 95W
14V System Requirement
11,000 Lumens
150,000 Candela
5 Year Warranty
PMA/STC Certified

Retail looks like $650, $700 with integrated wig-wag
 
Any info on how much heat is created?
Time limits while ops. on the ground?
LEDs don?t generate much heat. Less amp draw = less heat.

If you're referring to the Flyleds product, our spotlights have heatsinks on the back of each LED that eventually get to around 60*C/140*F, so LEDs do still generate a fair amount of heat. A 10 watt LED is considered to put out 6 or 7 of that as heat...

The Flyleds lights have no limitations on time to run.
(I recently tested a spotlight on my kitchen bench for seven weeks, that's 1100 hours... I got bored taking the same temp and lumen measurements!)

95 watts of LED light/heat in a PAR36 package, Wow! I look forward to seeing how that's done.

 
Walt,
I tried to find this light on their website, do you have the PN?

I just got the product announcement last week, not on their site yet but in stock.
I can get you a pair (with a little discount) or email Susan at AeroLeds.

SunSpot 36-4313 Landing
SunSpot 36-4314 Taxi

Also available as an 'H' model which has internal wigwag feature (retail $700).
Email me if you wish and I can send you a PDF
 
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I just got the product announcement last week, not on their site yet but in stock.
I can get you a pair (with a little discount) or email Susan at AeroLeds.

SunSpot 36-4313 Landing
SunSpot 36-4314 Taxi

Also available as an 'H' model which has internal wigwag feature (retail $700).
Email me if you wish and I can send you a PDF

Walt, is this $700 each or (hopefully) for a pair?
 
The SunSpot 4313/14 is essentially a 12V version based on our 4596/54 design (28V) that was originally designed for the Pilatus on their PC7/9/21-MKIV platforms and has been in-service for over 4 yrs.

Agreed, as mentioned, they do create a bit of heat that has to be managed and they will throttle down sitting in stationary position (fortunately we design assuming FWD airspeed is required for flight) and leverage the transient airflow resulting from the various pressure differentials that exist on every surface of the aircraft.

Truth-be-known, we do design for the environment where we believe the lights (and light power) is needed most (flight phase) and will sacrifice output at what we deem to be allowable (stationary/ramp). And because of the non-linearity of the eye and how it integrates light, the solution has been received well from users with in-field experience with the lights.

Regards,
Nate
 
The SunSpot 4313/14 is essentially a 12V version based on our 4596/54 design (28V) that was originally designed for the Pilatus on their PC7/9/21-MKIV platforms and has been in-service for over 4 yrs.

Agreed, as mentioned, they do create a bit of heat that has to be managed and they will throttle down sitting in stationary position (fortunately we design assuming FWD airspeed is required for flight) and leverage the transient airflow resulting from the various pressure differentials that exist on every surface of the aircraft.

Truth-be-known, we do design for the environment where we believe the lights (and light power) is needed most (flight phase) and will sacrifice output at what we deem to be allowable (stationary/ramp). And because of the non-linearity of the eye and how it integrates light, the solution has been received well from users with in-field experience with the lights.

Regards,
Nate

Hi Nate,

Just for interest, if this was installed on the typical Duckworks style lead edge mounting plates inside the wing of say an RV-10, where there is no airflow, what would its operating temperatures be and what would the actual light output be at those temps?

Curious minds are ticking over....
 
Great question. Yes we have tested in that configuration and it works wonderfully.

To help quantify the thermal requirements of air cooled systems (engines or LED lights) you have to consider that we rely on conjugate heat transfer (conduction and convection) to keep the die below critical temperature. Given the variance of the convection coefficient (free to forced) which ranges from 5W/m^2K (inside of 100% sealed box) to 300W/m^2K (saturated steam) the transfer rate is primarily a function of the moving air mass. Given the fact the the wing is surrounded by a huge pressure gradients and wing penetrations (torque tubes etc.), there are huge airflow currents rattling around inside the wing that cool the light. BTW: I found this the hard way 15 yrs ago when I started test flying my Velocity and despite extended efforts of cleaning and vacuuming the main spar/wing root cavity, I was greeted with a "PUFF" of sanding debris on my first flight!!

When we refer to "cooling air" it must not be misconstrued as "blast air" but rather interpreted as "moving air" to help stir the cooling medium and impinge/penetrate localized boundary layers at the heatsink (e.g. blowing on back of light with straw will increase the convective coefficient by 10x above static condition). Typical installations (as you describe) will result in heatsink temps that stabilize at ~10-20C delta temp above above ambient and light out put would be 100% until ambient conditions exceed 80C (since my grandmother and 'mum' are from Australia, I know it gets hot "down uunda" but think that 80C flying is still a rarity in them parts...GRIN)

Regards,
Nate
 
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Wig Wag

Not wanting to hijack this thread, but since the topic came up about wig wag vs non wig wag lights it sparked a question.

If you are using the Garmin G3X setup which includes the wig wag functionality in the GAD27 that routes the power to the lights, then do you need to spend the extra money on the wig wag enabled lights or will the standard lights function in the wig wag mode under the Garmin's control?
 
I dont have a wiring diagram of that system, but there are three possible scenarios:

1) If the Garmin sends a control-level signal (3-5V) that is a status (High or Low), then yes you would need the Wig/Wag lights and slave them to a relay

2) If the Garmin sends a control-level signal (3-5V) that is changing states (High/Low/High) then no you don't need the Wig/Wag lights and can slave them to a relay controlled by the control signal;

3) If the Garmin can sink a large current (5-8A) then it can act as the wig/wag source and functionally turn lights on and off directly, thus don't need the Wig/Wag.

Hope that helps!
Nate
 
wig wag

Much appreciated. It appears then that since the GAD 27 is a relay for a 10Amp current it would not require the wig wag functionality in the light to allow the lights to still perform the wig wag function.
 
I've installed the GAD27 with standard Sunspot 36LX Aeroleds and can confirm the wig wag function works as advertised.
 
Scott,

I ordered the same set up you did. ?The works? plus leading edge combo set. Leading edge lights are on sale and seemed like a good deal to get more than plenty of light. Curious of how you plan to incorporate your light switches and wig wag features.

Thanks
 
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