Project Corner – Alex’s LED lights

All chapter members are invited and encouraged to take a few minutes and send us a photo and description of whatever project you are working on now or have recently completed. Send your text and photo(s) to eaa1541@gmail.com. Fun and education for everyone!


From Alex Russell:
My friend Shadie informed me he was bored and needed something to do during the COVID lockdown. So we decided to do an upgrade on my RV-7 lighting package. My plane had the stock Van’s wingtip landing lights with LED MR-12 bulbs paired with Aveo Powerburst LED nav/pos/strobes. The lighting from this package was a bit underwhelming. The landing and taxi lights didn’t give me much confidence, and the nav lights got washed out by all the refracted light in the wingtips. We decided to try the Flyleds “the works” lighting package for the RV7. Everything you need in one integrated package. The kit consists of profile cut PCBs onto which you solder all of the supplied LEDs, resistors, heat sinks, and connectors.

The instructions were easy to follow, complete, and integrated seamlessly with my Advanced FlightSystems control module. The control board allows you to toggle several switches to set the strobe pattern, duration, and frequency. It even allows you to operate the strobes as floodlights for extra taxi visibility.

The finished product looks great and I think would definitely qualify as high visibility. Especially handy for the taildragger crowd is the separate adjustability of the taxi and landing light fixtures. I have yet to optimally aim the taxi and landing lights, but I can already say they are a marked improvement. One decrement I would give them is that, although the components are of high quality, the finished product is not potted or environmentally sealed in any way. Since the package is in the wingtips they should be pretty isolated from engine vibration, but I will probably work on sealing up my lenses to keep everything dry.

Cheers,