Date: Mon, 1 May 95 14:32:43 EDT Subject: Landing Lights?? People; For some reason I've had landing lights running though my mind for a couple of weeks now. I've been contemplating two mounting positions for them (since I don't want a landing light on a pivot as Nat suggests): 1) Like car headlights, mounted up in the nose (one on each side down low) with a plexiglas or lexan cover. I'd use either small square driving lights, or something like the small round Acura headlights. 2) Wing leading edge (or Strake leading edge). All other particulars the same. (1) would use less wire (probably) and might be less difficult to install. Does anyone have any comments, suggestions, recommendations, etc.? -- Marc J. Zeitlin E-Mail: marcz@an.hp.com From: Marc J. Zeitlin Subject: Landing Lights (fwd) Date: Mon, 1 May 95 15:50:28 EDT Phillip writes: > Marc Writes: > > > 1) Like car headlights, mounted up in the nose (one on each side > down low) with a Plexiglas or lexan cover. I'd use either small > square driving lights, or something like the small round Acura > headlights. > > > 2) Wing leading edge (or Strake leading edge). All other > particulars the same. > > (2) is bad news, the lights from the strake shine on the canard and > distract the pilot. Several people have tried this. Some have tried to > put the light so that the top edge of the strake shields the canard > but the reflection from the fuselage side still illuminates the > canard. Ideally the light should be somewhere in the nose. Thanks, I hadn't thought of this. Nose it shall be, unless someone else had a better idea. > .................... I can't > make up my mind. I have such a nice curve on the front/nose that I > don't want to destroy it. I am considering installing two lights one > either side of the nose with elliptical covers. The benefit is that > the glass/Plexiglas is nominally flat. A 4 inch light would cause > about an 8 inch longitudinal opening on each side. Food for thought > anyway. That's sort of what I thought of doing. I figured I'd cut out an elliptical shape with a hacksaw, and then use it as a mold for the plexiglas. The guys in the shop here tell me that I can drape the plexi over a mold and put it in the oven at ~300 deg F., and it'll sag to shape. That way, you get to keep your cool-o shape, and you can either screw or epoxy the plexi in place, with the lights behind it. Thanks. -- Marc J. Zeitlin E-Mail: marcz@an.hp.com Date: Mon, 01 May 95 14:57:35 est From: "Phillip Johnson" Subject: Landing Lights Marc Writes: > 1) Like car headlights, mounted up in the nose (one on each side down low) with a Plexiglas or lexan cover. I'd use either small square driving lights, or something like the small round Acura headlights. > 2) Wing leading edge (or Strake leading edge). All other particulars the same. (2) is bad news, the lights from the strake shine on the canard and distract the pilot. Several people have tried this. Some have tried to put the light so that the top edge of the strake shields the canard but the reflection from the fuselage side still illuminates the canard. Ideally the light should be somewhere in the nose. I can't make up my mind. I have such a nice curve on the front/nose that I don't want to destroy it. I am considering installing two lights one either side of the nose with elliptical covers. The benefit is that the glass/Plexiglas is nominally flat. A 4 inch light would cause about an 8 inch longitudinal opening on each side. Food for thought anyway. Phil Johnson Date: Tue, 2 May 1995 08:16:05 -0400 From: RonKidd@aol.com Subject: Re: Landing Lights?? I originally had a fold down light under the fush, as per 3 place plans. It didn't work well as it was never aimed properly. I ended up drape molding lenses over the noses of my wheel pants (300' then just lay the hot plexi over the noses and let them cool). then sliced off the noses. Made a bulkhead and mounted 500,000 cp, halogen lights on the bulkheads (with springs for adjustability), made a close out flange and mounted the lenses with a few nut plates. They are set one down, one ahead. The illimination is not perfect, but acceptable. As recognition lights, they work very well, and they look very cool! I ran the wires down the gear legs in an extra set of straws I had built into the tr. edge. The plexiglass is very easy to form. I had widened my fush. and had to custom form rear windows. Same technique, just heated the plexi and draped it over the turtledeck before making any cutouts into it. Ron Kidd N 417CZ Date: Sat, 13 May 1995 19:21:45 -0400 From: KSPREUER@aol.com Subject: Landing Lights I agree with Phillips selection of the nose for the landing light and the idea of making it fixed rather than retractable. I did this on my Cozy 3 place and it has been very adequate. I put it right in the center of the nose in a removable nose cone in which I put in a plexiglass lens. I moved the pitot tube above the nose and rearward just in fornt of the access cover. It has been calibrated in that position and is very accurate and doesn't get dirt kick in it when parked. The landing light has no shadow in this position and can be turned on at any speed. This is much simpler than the retract idea. I used a sealed beam but the halogens would be great too.