LED / Nav lights

Scott Gettings wrote:
Glad you guys found this useful.

Our DAR says that they don't make specific demands regarding how something is
done, so LEDs are fine as long as they are bright enough and have the necessary
visibility pattern. He saw no problem whatsoever using LEDs for these lights.

I noted in one of my aviation mags that Whelen has a $700+ vertical stab. LED
strobe light! Probably doesn't include the power supply. This is obscene and
could easily be done with a set of Luxeon 5-watt white LEDs in a circular pattern.

Some 3-rd parties are trying to market various combinations, but unless you need
very special hardware, you can just make these yourself at a fraction of the cost.


You can actually make them much cheaper without the Luxeon and get the
pattern closer to the FAA spec. Buy the LED's from SuperBright LED
(sorry, can't remember the website). Their website will show the light
patter makes for each of the LED's and how much power they put out. The
FAR's specify how much light must shine where. Pick out the LED
combinations that will put the right amount of light in the right places.

Take a piece of 1/4" plexiglass. Drill holes that will be a tight fit
for the LEDs at angles that will point them where they should shine.
Push the LEDs into the holes, solder some resistors directly to the
leads, and pot the backside of the whole thing. You have a solid chunk
of plastic that will blind you at night if you put 12V across it.

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