Can I fly it at night?

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

Well, it's certainly possible to run position lights, but that's not enough
today, today you also need an anticollision light.

Yes, I read 91.205(c) before posting and it appeared that
I'd need the anticollision light, but I was also looking for
confirmation from anyone with experience. It helps to know
how the regs are actually applied. Just reading them
doesn't always give you all the information you need.

You said there are lights on each
wingtip and the fin, are there actual lampholders there or is there just a
mounting pad for them?

Not only are the lampholders there, there are bulbs in them.
I've pulled the bulbs out, but can't tell for certain if
they are intended for 6 volt or 12 volt use. The TDC
indicates an optional 6 volt battery.

I have a 7AC, they were also pre-wired for position
lights but I never saw one that had them.

The 7AC that used to be hangared near the Chief also has
lampholders and bulbs, but the owner had no more info than I
do.

Do you have the type certificate data sheet for your airplane? That would
specify what electrical gear was available for installation.

I've looked at it, but I'll look again. IIRC, it had a 6
volt battery listed as optional and a wind driven gen.

I own a Champ' but like most Aeronca owners I've become a bit of a buff on
the whole line. I've seen many photos of pre-war Chiefs with the mount pads
for position lights quite discernible but without the actual lights. I've
seen some with position lights installed but without a wind-driven
generator, so it was certainly possible to operate them with just a battery.

The A&P I asked thought my lights were originally battery
operated, but I can't really tell. That's one reason I
posted here.

The only Chief I recall seeing with a wind-driven generator had it mounted
above the cabin, but that was the Chief Johnnie Jones used on his
transcontinental flight in 1938 so it was probably not the standard
installation. That generator looked significantly larger than others for
this purpose.

There's no sign of any wind gen mounts on mine, but I
suspect that they were merely bolt on accessories, so if
mine had one, the traces are long gone. There's nothing in
the logbook about this.

If you are a Champ owner, have you read about the great bank
robbery using a Champ for the getaway, CFI's as bank robbers
and bullet holes in the fabric as they escaped?