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Looking for LED tail light / LED strobe - Is the Whelen Microburst I the best?

I've had this unit on my -6 for over 5 years and have had no problems with it.

Mel, what are your thoughts on Whelen's statement that these lights do not meet the requirements for night flight? Several of the manufacturers of experimental strobes point this out about their own products.

Signed,

A guy who is looking at strobes. $1200 - certified. 1/2 that much $ - uncertified, but with a caveat against night flight.
 
My plane will have LED position lights, and old fashioned (Xenon) strobes in the wing tips.

I'm trying to figure out what to put in the tail. Whelen sells an experimental LED light that is both navigation (steady white) and anticollision (flashing bright white) for $199

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/el/ledlighting_tail/microburstwhelen.php

Is this the best value?

As long as you dont want to fly at night. They were designed for LSA\experimentals and do not meet the FAR's for night operations.
 
so, just to confirm, that 200.00 tail light will not cut it for night flight?
 
You could use the 500 with a standard strobe and position. Use a Whelen single pack supply or a Tomar 3000 series supply.
 
You could use the 500 with a standard strobe and position. Use a Whelen single pack supply or a Tomar 3000 series supply.

I found the "500", its an Whelen A500A tail light. Combination incandesent and strobe. It's an option, but pretty expensive ($236, or $273 for radio shielded version)

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/el/taillights/whelenlightheads10.php

I've got a strobe power pack already but didn't want to run the strobe wire to the tail. They are already in the wings.
 
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My plane will have LED position lights, and old fashioned (Xenon) strobes in the wing tips.

I'm trying to figure out what to put in the tail. Whelen sells an experimental LED light that is both navigation (steady white) and anticollision (flashing bright white) for $199

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/el/ledlighting_tail/microburstwhelen.php

Is this the best value?

If you want the best solution for night, You could install this ORION 500 OR5001V Series All LED Tail Nav/Strobe.

OR500.jpg
 
Fit?

I'm not sure the Orion 500 will fit in the rudder fiberglass as molded. I'm looking too, as it looks like I've either got to spring for a new strobe bulb assembly, or go with something else. Anybody fit the Orion yet? Rick
 
I had Aeroflash with power supply in the tail of my -7 & went with the Aero LED to get rid of the power supply. I didn't have shielded wire & got hash on my radio. I switched to the Whelen Orion 500. It didn't fit the rudder fairing. I reworked the fairing & all good now except the $. Now that it's done the Whelen unit seems OK. Bob
 
Early model 4's and 6's had small rudder fairing light mounts to accommodate the smaller form factor of the xenon flash strobes in the days before LED models. Fairings made in the last oh, probably 10 years or more, have larger fairing housings to accommodate LED lights with no mods required. The LED's have cooling requirements that make for a slightly larger body. I do not know when these fairing changes were made by Vans but it was quite a number of years ago. I think I have had only 1 or 2 customers over the years that had to make a mod to their rudder fairing for the LED version of the rudder fairing light and I think it was on an early model RV-6. I don't believe any 7,8,9,10,12,14 would have this concern and I have certainly not heard from any of the model drivers that the OR500 had any fit problems.
 
Fit

Kahuna, all I've done is looked at the video, but by using that, and struggling unsuccessfully to snake the two and three pin connectors through the back of the RV-9A molding with hemostats today, I simply don't see how it will fit. My FG is about 8 years old, it was a replacement. I realize that's not scientific, but can you post somewhere where the drawing is? I'm willing to look closer. Rick
 
Kahuna, all I've done is looked at the video, but by using that, and struggling unsuccessfully to snake the two and three pin connectors through the back of the RV-9A molding with hemostats today, I simply don't see how it will fit. My FG is about 8 years old, it was a replacement. I realize that's not scientific, but can you post somewhere where the drawing is? I'm willing to look closer. Rick

You bet. You will find all the documentation here. http://www.teamaerodynamix.com/products/productinfo.html

Grab the OR 500 installation guide and you will see the dimensions. Snaking wires should not have any impact on the light fitting into the molded fairing housing.
 
On this topic, who has practical experience with LED strobes/position lights? In particular, I'm looking for people who have successful night legal LED strobe installations without shielded wiring, and which lighting product (make/model) they used.

Some brands recommend shielded wires, some don't, and I've seen more than one comment about noise from unshielded LED strobes.
 
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Early model 4's and 6's had small rudder fairing light mounts to accommodate the smaller form factor of the xenon flash strobes in the days before LED models. Fairings made in the last oh, probably 10 years or more, have larger fairing housings to accommodate LED lights with no mods required. The LED's have cooling requirements that make for a slightly larger body. I do not know when these fairing changes were made by Vans but it was quite a number of years ago. I think I have had only 1 or 2 customers over the years that had to make a mod to their rudder fairing for the LED version of the rudder fairing light and I think it was on an early model RV-6. I don't believe any 7,8,9,10,12,14 would have this concern and I have certainly not heard from any of the model drivers that the OR500 had any fit problems.
l

I had a problem with my -7. The tail kit was a 2003, but had the high tail. It didn't fly until 2011. I had to cut a pretty big hole on each side of the faring to get it to go in. I just made a plug large enough to allow air cooling flow & constructed a new larger cone over it. It turned out pretty well. Bob
 
Hi Mel, as a DAR (since last century), would the use of these light change the Operating Limitations?
Thanks for your insight,
dave

Not at all. You operating limitations puts the burden of proof on the pilot.

They state,"Day VFR flight operations are authorized. Night flight operations are authorized if the instruments specified in 91.205(c) are installed, operational, and maintained in accordance with the applicable requirements of part 91."
 
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