Flashlight recommendations?

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Jim Logajan

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I expect I'll be doing night training in the next couple weeks, and while I have a number of traditional flashlights available (a couple small LED ones too) I'm wondering whether it is worthwhile to buy one with red LEDs or combination color deals - such as those sold by Sporty's. Anyone have recommendations or advice? It's not a big loss if I end up choosing wrong, but buying the wrong flashlight means one more piece of clutter I already deal with.
 
Get this:

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$15 bucks, has white and red light, fits over your headset, and provides light where you need it.
 
Agree with Dan. Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-mart, Target, etc. all carry something like this. Excellent for in the cockpit and for those little jobs around the house where you *need* extra light, but don't have a 3rd hand for the flashlight.
 
dmccormack said:
Get this:

A3i04eCZToRo6KQIAFQb4a0qGehKzcLRLJzMaEYWpxYpkVMsrkLUw3aECqXD0ESmruLULf1GPzEFKr8h9TJyObQ1R8T1VmFjKkayzolQaDafbolOzKg8745vwb4BDANb6SqbQ34gedbWYs_pW6njTHYlSeREcyBrAB_b57QPqSAogVymNbE


$15 bucks, has white and red light, fits over your headset, and provides light where you need it.
Click to expand...
I cannot recommend this enough. You absolutely need the red light. There's nothing that ruins a night flight more than a pilot that is looking at a chart and busts out a bright white flashlight. Great job there, you destroyed the night vision I had going.

This is a fantastic flashlight, some like to call it a nerdlight but you know what?

It works, it has the 2 light modes, and it is a wonder when you need to see the compass because at least half the 172's I've flown have a broken compass lights and this is a godsend.

Get it, and if they make fun of you, screw em, it saves your hands completely and like it was mentioned, fits right over or right under your headset no problem
 
I have one of those I bought at Home Depot for ~$10. Unfortunately, I searched their website and apparently they no longer carry them.

I used it a few times but don't like it as even the red light seemed too bright. I use a couple of keychain LED lights strung on lanyards around my neck. I can grab one, turn it on and even shield the light with my fingertip to avoid blinding myself. It is white light, but when reading a chart red light will wash out all the magenta markings. I find I spend most of my time with no lights on other than the instrument lighting (which is pretty dim in most older planes) and only need the light now and then. The head lamp is not as easy to turn on and off.

Anyway, my $.02. You may really like the head lamp, but check around. You can probably find it much cheaper than Sporty's.

John
 
jsstevens said:
I have one of those I bought at Home Depot for ~$10. Unfortunately, I searched their website and apparently they no longer carry them.

I used it a few times but don't like it as even the red light seemed too bright. I use a couple of keychain LED lights strung on lanyards around my neck. I can grab one, turn it on and even shield the light with my fingertip to avoid blinding myself. It is white light, but when reading a chart red light will wash out all the magenta markings. I find I spend most of my time with no lights on other than the instrument lighting (which is pretty dim in most older planes) and only need the light now and then. The head lamp is not as easy to turn on and off.

Anyway, my $.02. You may really like the head lamp, but check around. You can probably find it much cheaper than Sporty's.


John
Click to expand...
I, too, find that all the commercially available head lights are too bright (when one is using the red light. I have never found one with a rheostat. I have modified some lights that clip onto a hat bill if various ways. One I had for years that was originally white, but I taped some red filter paper over the lens. The one I use now has three red LED's, but I have put tape over two of them. It really doesn't take much light!

Wells
 
Have fun with the night flying. It's a whole different world. The red light on the sectional makes it difficult but the white light is WAY too bright. Be prepared for what landmarks you'll be crossing and at what time...maybe write with a glow in the dark ink on paper? (Why didn't I do that when I was doing my night flight)

I bought a Smith & Wesson hand held red/white light but that's 'cause I like the brand of Smith & Wesson. :)

~K
 
W. Stewart said:
I, too, find that all the commercially available head lights are too bright (when one is using the red light. I have never found one with a rheostat. I have modified some lights that clip onto a hat bill if various ways. One I had for years that was originally white, but I taped some red filter paper over the lens. The one I use now has three red LED's, but I have put tape over two of them. It really doesn't take much light!

Wells
Click to expand...
The one that I bought (Home Depot, over a year ago now so it might be the one that they no longer carry) is too bright when the batteries are new, but quickly settles down to a very comfortable level after an hour or so of use. I'll third all the recommendations for this kind of flashlight -- it's made a huge difference in my comfort with flying at night, especially since the panel lights in my Cardinal are pretty crappy.
 
Try to find one that doesn't cycle through the white light just to get to the red (or to turn it off). I don't know if you'll find one anymore.

I bought a cheap 2-AAA penlight, took the prefocused incandescent bulb out, broke the glass and filament out of the bulb, and soldered in a small amber LED. Got to get the polarity right. Batteries last a long time and it's dim enough to be useful. You could use red, but amber works better for me. Too much stuff on the chart didn't show up under the red light.

Dan
 
Dan Thomas said:
Try to find one that doesn't cycle through the white light just to get to the red (or to turn it off). I don't know if you'll find one anymore.

I bought a cheap 2-AAA penlight, took the prefocused incandescent bulb out, broke the glass and filament out of the bulb, and soldered in a small amber LED. Got to get the polarity right. Batteries last a long time and it's dim enough to be useful. You could use red, but amber works better for me. Too much stuff on the chart didn't show up under the red light.

Dan
Click to expand...

I notice that a multi-color headlamp sold by Sporty's, http://sportys.com/pilotshop/product/11857, has white, red, and green LEDs. According to the description it has dual switches - one for white (for preflighting) and another to switch between red and green. It suggests using green for chart reading, which I hadn't seen suggested before. So for switching colors, it appears to be a good choice. Other than placing some slightly opaque material in front of the lights (or adding some circuitry) there doesn't seem to a way to adjust the brightness.

With respect to red versus green in preserving night vision, according to the two links below, it seems there is no definitive answer other than it is best to use a light that allows one to vary the intensity:

http://stlplaces.com/night_vision_red_myth/
http://www.equipped.com/nitevision.htm
 
The one I got at Home Depot had a two position switch: 1 for white and 1 for red. I have another one on which repeated pushes of the button will dim the light through 3 or 4 settings, but then it goes into flashing mode. It's white only.

John
 
Yup the head lamp is great only about $10-$15 sold at lowes home centers and elsewhere. Skip the purchase through an aviation store as that will only increas the price.
 
I tried the backpacker's headlamp, and while it's a huge improvement over the old dead-battery-storage-cylinder of a traditional flashlight, the headlamp can be far too bright, even on the dimmest setting, for good dark adaptation.

Then last year I bought a ball cap with three little LEDs embedded in the leading edge of the brim from Eddie Bauer. Not sure they still have them, but what a find for flying! A button in the brim cycles through the choices- two on, all three on, and all off. I painted red nail polish on the first two, so that I get a soft pink glow which is bright enough to illuminate wherever I'm looking, but not so bright as to wreck my dark adaptation. With all three on, it's good to preflight at night, read the tiny print on the charts, etc. It's my all-purpose flying hat now, to shade my eyes from late afternoon sun, then when it gets dark, my flashlight is right there, looking where I'm looking. Don't know how long the replaceable battery lasts, but I've been using this one for a year now, and highly, highly recommend it.
I don't see this exact one, but there are several choices available by googling LED ball cap.
 
I think the concerns about night vision are a bit overblown. You're not running night ops against Charlie in the Delta -- you just need to be able to see runway lights and other airplane strobes.
 
YMMV, and maybe it's just my increasingly old-age, but I find that being able to accurately gauge height above touchdown accurately, even at a small, dimly lit airport at the end of a long day's flying is quite valuable.
 
One of the lights I use at night is a single green LED light with a strap that allows you to attach it to a finger. Points where the finger points. Very convenient and easy on night vision. My new CFII hadn't seen one before and now he's looking for a source. Sporty's?

I also carry a multi-green LED light and a couple white lights (good for pre-flight and reading the Hobbs in the Arrow after putting it away).
 
My problem with anything hand-held or hand-aimed is that I want one hand for steering and one hand for throttle, flaps, gear, etc. I don't want to be fooling with aiming a flashlight or pointer, such that I have to neglect either of those other functions. I want to continue my normal scan without having to think about it. Which is why the headlamp and then, even better, the LED ball cap have proven to be such good solutions for me.
 
I have a red GloveLite (http://www.glovelite.com/) - I like it, but wish I would have gotten a red for one hand and white for another. The red becomes a problem as I highlight charts in red market - oops.

It was $24 or so when I bought mine... its handy to put on and just wear whenever flying around dark times.

I agree with the headlamp comments too - I have a Petzl light that has 3 white led settings - bright, dim and flash. I set it on dim and aim it at the ceiling and it provides nice light of the whole cockpit... or I wear it around my neck and it lights up charts in my lap.

regards,
Mike
 
dmccormack said:
I think the concerns about night vision are a bit overblown. You're not running night ops against Charlie in the Delta -- you just need to be able to see runway lights and other airplane strobes.
Click to expand...

Well, those things, and the coyote running across the active.... I do find that my white-light flashlight kills enough of my night vision to substantially degrade even my ability to see runway and aircraft lights, though. I like the red.
 
I am a fan of my Petzl TacTikka headlamp. It has red filter lens over white LEDs, so you can turn it on and off without getting flashed by white light. It is just the right brightness for the cockpit.

I apparently can't post links, but if you google TacTikka, Amazon has it for ~30 bucks.
 
I bought little Pelican lights that ran off 4 button batteries many years ago. They used to sell little velcro mounted pedestal swivels that you could put on a headset earcup.

Worked GREAT for panel illumination in older planes with iffy panel lights. The light went where your head went, so it was great for everything - panel, charts, bag.. you look, it was lit up. Came with green and red and blue as light options (as well as white)

They still make the light. I didn't see the pedestal anywhere in their current website or catalog.
 
When it comes to things like flashlights, anything that is marketed as a "pilot" or "aviator" item will cost 2X to 5X of what the same item will cost you at Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart.

:crazy:

Mike
 
I still use a small mag lite with a red lense for inside the cockpit. I've got another larger flashlight to do the preflight if its dark.
 
Amelia said:
I tried the backpacker's headlamp, and while it's a huge improvement over the old dead-battery-storage-cylinder of a traditional flashlight, the headlamp can be far too bright, even on the dimmest setting, for good dark adaptation.

Then last year I bought a ball cap with three little LEDs embedded in the leading edge of the brim from Eddie Bauer. Not sure they still have them, but what a find for flying! A button in the brim cycles through the choices- two on, all three on, and all off. I painted red nail polish on the first two, so that I get a soft pink glow which is bright enough to illuminate wherever I'm looking, but not so bright as to wreck my dark adaptation. With all three on, it's good to preflight at night, read the tiny print on the charts, etc. It's my all-purpose flying hat now, to shade my eyes from late afternoon sun, then when it gets dark, my flashlight is right there, looking where I'm looking. Don't know how long the replaceable battery lasts, but I've been using this one for a year now, and highly, highly recommend it.
I don't see this exact one, but there are several choices available by googling LED ball cap.
Click to expand...

I also have the Eddie Bauer ballcap light, which I find just about perfect. Works well, because it aims with your head, and is useful at pre-flight as well as in flight. Sadly, it appears to be gone from their selection.

These seem comparable: http://www.panthervision.com/3-led-power-cap-in-various-colors-and-styles-item.html
 
dmccormack said:
I think the concerns about night vision are a bit overblown. You're not running night ops against Charlie in the Delta -- you just need to be able to see runway lights and other airplane strobes.
Click to expand...
Land at an airport with dim runway lights (just the edge lights no tdzlights or malsr or anything useful)

After your landing light was found to have blown during the flight.

Night vision matter when you need it the most.



true story.
 
elmetal said:
Land at an airport with dim runway lights (just the edge lights no tdzlights or malsr or anything useful)

After your landing light was found to have blown during the flight.

Night vision matter when you need it the most.



true story.
Click to expand...

I've landed several times with no landing light (certain C172s are notorious for eating landing lights due to the mount location).

I've landed a couple of times on runways where the PCL was inop.

Night vision to the level required to land an airplane is *not* ruined by white light -- just too much light of any type, red, green, blue, or white.
 
I already got flamed for this, but I have a little wind-up flashlight that has both red for flight and white lights for preflight on their own switches. I like it a lot, since I get the light I need, and I never worry about having a flashlight with a dead battery. The only thing you really need it for flying VFR is to look at your charts, unless your instrument flights fail. Then you might want to glance at your DG to maintain heading. I wind mine for about 30 seconds at the beginning of the fight and it lasts me the whole time. I have to wind it a bit more if I'm preflighting in the dark, but it beats a flashlight with a dead battery. And if you fly at night as infrequently as me, having a fancy flashlight with dead batteries is a distinct possibility.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Try to find one that doesn't cycle through the white light just to get to the red (or to turn it off). I don't know if you'll find one anymore.

I bought a cheap 2-AAA penlight, took the prefocused incandescent bulb out, broke the glass and filament out of the bulb, and soldered in a small amber LED. Got to get the polarity right. Batteries last a long time and it's dim enough to be useful. You could use red, but amber works better for me. Too much stuff on the chart didn't show up under the red light.

Dan
Click to expand...

The Smith and Wesson light http://sportys.com/PilotShop/product/11873 has two separate switches so you don't need to cycle through white to get to the red. It's my favorite flashlight, and the ONLY downside is it has no loop to attach to a lanyard. When night flying, I like to have a flashlight around my neck for quick access, even if it's just for shutting down at night and needing to read the Hobbs meter.
 
Did my first night XC last night. I got a retractable keyring from the local hardware store and a red led keychain. Worked pretty well, but green would be better for charts. I have the sporty's headlamp on order.
 

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GeorgeC said:
Did my first night XC last night. I got a retractable keyring from the local hardware store and a red led keychain. Worked pretty well, but green would be better for charts. I have the sporty's headlamp on order.
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I eventually went with that headlamp - it'll do the trick. My CFI thought it was a good idea, though he hadn't seen anyone else use one before. Once you get it, practice switching it on and off and changing colors and such in a dark room. I didn't do nearly enough practice (seemed easy to use) so was rather fat-fingered with it in the cockpit.

(Also glad I took my cross countries during the winter - one can get back at a reasonable hour.)
 
My CFI has the energizer headlamp; it's cheap, but white and red are on the same switch. The princeton tec tactical quad looks promising, too.
 
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I just use the dome light in the plane. My night vision isn't affected by it enough to worry. I can still see the beacon 30 miles out while the light is on.
 
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