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Don't ask me why but I got the wild hair to add lighting to my CH 701. Actually I can now kind of legally fly after sunset adding another 30 to 40 minutes to my day before dark.
This is what happens when you run across a Strobe / Wig wag / Landing light kit for $39.00 at CRAZEDPILOT.COM...other good stuff there too!!!
Started with the basic kit installing the LED lights inside the leading edge of my slats...that looked sooo good I purchased four more LED white bullet LEDs and a red and green bullet LED.
Mounted the wing tip "nav lights" on a piece of polished aluminum and put them on the wing tips. The inner lights were mounted on a piece white plastic pipe about six inches long mounted under the struts and are faced both fore and aft.
Cost: About $85.00 using parts from around the shop and sweat equity.
Left out how I made the mounts etal on purpose...be creative in your install!!!
Check out the video on Zenith videos.
Still Grinnin
Phil Smith
CH-70wonderful
Buhl, ID
Tags:
Quite a light show!
It will be interesting to see what your long-term experience is with these inexpensive LED's - keep us posted!
John
N750A
All ready found that I'll have to make some sort of shields to keep the light out od the cockpit - kinda disconcerting as it gets darker with the strobing wig wag on the instrument panel. Anyway was a fun project JFSAG.
ttfn and still grinning.
Phil
Very nice, I too have added the CrazedPilot lights in my wings, even if I can not fly at night they will help with day time visabilty. You will have to let me know how well they work.
Jonathan,
We need to have a contest - who's are brighter - did you put yours in the slats? Would have been a lot easier as part of the build. Frankly from what I'm seeing if I did it again I'd probably put two bullet lites in the end of each slat and the inboards the way I did them. I'm going to take some pics with everything off in day light so folks can see what I did. Don't know why but during my project dreaming, prototyping and building I very rarely take any pictures.
Still grinning.
Phil
Phil, I will not have slats on my 750, I scratch built drooped nose wings. I did put the lights on the tips of the wings, I went with the larger 48 led lights, I figured they might give more light. I did build them into the wing, and bent lexan around the wing tip. I think they turned out pretty good, but it will be a while before I get the plane up in the air. I am currently overhauling the engine for my CH-2000, so that will set me back a bunch of money, money that should be going into the 750. We will compare lights when my 750 is up and running though.
OK kids, as a follow-up and Questions about what the lights look like in the day with no power. I have attached photos for your review.
I think, as I said before, that if I did this again I would probably put a couple of the white bullet lights in the out board slat in place of the one that came with the controller. Why? Easier and cleaner install. Anyway for a few bucks this is what you get - see the video attached elsewhere.
Still grinning.
Phil
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