Landing light blew on downwind of my 1st night landing...

Hobobiker

Hobobiker

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Hobo
Yep, just my luck. CFI and i planned to do some night hood work and 7 landings. On downwind I do my gumps check and out goes the light. Ended up one of my best landings of the night. He and I taxied to the hanger, I got to change the bulb with the fuel sump tool, and then we finished the other six landings. 1.5 on the Hobbs included .5 under the hood. Great night for flying...
 
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Yep. That's why I put an LED landing light in.
 
My 182 has a Taxi light and a separate landing light. Though they are slightly different in spread, and intensity, I have found that should my landing light die, my Taxi light though not perfect is better than nothing. Then again, I have also practice a few landings without a landing or taxi light, and it seemed that the ambient light from the runway, and airport is often just enough to help as well. Though to tell the truth I do very much appreciate what my landing light offers me.
 
That's why we put an LED in both the taxi and landing light holes. ;)
 
Hobobiker said:
On downwind I do my gumps check and out goes the light.
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It happens, my CFI had me do a number of no light night landings. I had an alternator failure at night, as I was landing the whole plane went dark as I was over the fence. It happens.
 
I thought we became technologically a great nation when I finally could afford to fly a plane that HAD a landing light.
On the first approach that stabbing beam of light out front swinging from side to side with the rudder action was so disturbing I shut it off. I stil make at least half of my night landings with the light off.

Old dog, old habits.
New tricks?
Not so much.
 
It was a perfect night to fly locally!! I was getting some landings in since I hadn't flown in 3+ weeks. I wish I could've stayed up there all night.
 
another +1 for LED bulb. My regular bulb blew twice in less than 12 months. Once when starting up for a night flight and once when landing at night. Made me realize that you can't depend on the regular incandescent bulb.
 
A friend has the Teledyne unit in his Hawk XP. It died in something over 100 hours. They replaced it for him.
 
I found out my landing light was busted when I went to do my nighttime currency a couple years ago. No landing light! Did my three landings to a stop anyway, and got the requisite light bulb to fix the thing.

My airport has taxiway lighting, so it wasn't that big a deal. Would have gotten my attention on my first flight though.
 
steingar said:
I found out my landing light was busted when I went to do my nighttime currency a couple years ago. No landing light! Did my three landings to a stop anyway, and got the requisite light bulb to fix the thing.

My airport has taxiway lighting, so it wasn't that big a deal. Would have gotten my attention on my first flight though.
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And since this was my first night flight, yep, it certainly changed my site picture of the runway on final...:D
 
Hobobiker said:
And since this was my first night flight, yep, it certainly changed my site picture of the runway on final...:D
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Your instructor should have turned the thing off at some point anyway. Better to get that sight picture while you're training.
 
rbridges said:
another +1 for LED bulb. My regular bulb blew twice in less than 12 months. Once when starting up for a night flight and once when landing at night. Made me realize that you can't depend on the regular incandescent bulb.
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Sales technique from manufacturers. :rolleyes2:

David
 
NineThreeKilo said:
Best upgrade would be a HID for the landing light and LED for taxi/recog light.
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Maybe if you like the price tag on the aviation HIDs. I can put 'em in my truck for $25. Airplane, not even close. Haven't had any problems with the amount of light thrown by the LED.

The HID is at least two tanks of avgas and a pile of paperwork for very little practical gain for use as a landing light. For use as an anti collision light, the HID wins hands-down.

Addition of a flasher would be cheaper for that purpose.
 
denverpilot said:
Maybe if you like the price tag on the aviation HIDs. I can put 'em in my truck for $25. Airplane, not even close. Haven't had any problems with the amount of light thrown by the LED.

The HID is at least two tanks of avgas and a pile of paperwork for very little practical gain for use as a landing light. For use as an anti collision light, the HID wins hands-down.

Addition of a flasher would be cheaper for that purpose.
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I agree about the HID. I'd love to have one, too, but I can't justify the cost vs. a screw in LED.
 
denverpilot said:
Maybe if you like the price tag on the aviation HIDs. I can put 'em in my truck for $25. Airplane, not even close. Haven't had any problems with the amount of light thrown by the LED.

The HID is at least two tanks of avgas and a pile of paperwork for very little practical gain for use as a landing light. For use as an anti collision light, the HID wins hands-down.

Addition of a flasher would be cheaper for that purpose.
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$25 for your truck?! sounds like someone just sold you some blue tinted bulbs lol. The 4300k bixeon HIDs for my 4x4 ran me about $160.


For my plane (12v) the LED is about $250, HID around $500 (knots2you).

The LEDs are great for recog or flashers, they don't care about cycles, they burn cooler (great for low speed like taxi) however they do not match a HID for amount of light or color temp, there are some side by side comparisons on you tube, if you want range and intensity you want HIDs.

For simple recog or low speed taxi LEDs are great.
 
Fortunately my mecical prevents night flight so led/hid or on/off or fail/op is moot. :D

Cheers
 
I would say 95% of my night landings did not involve a landing light or a taxi light. Don't be afraid of the dark side.

Or, maybe, do:

[Yoda] Fear is the path to the Dark Side. [/Yoda]

:D
 
I like to land without landing or taxi lights as part of practice. Gives you confidence you can still land with an electrical failure plus you realize what all those drug smugglers have to be able to do.
 
Meh...I only ever let my students have the landing light for about half of their night landings anyway. Kidding aside, +another for LEDs.
 
Mine konked out sometime in my first few night landings...but my instructor gave it back later :).
 
NineThreeKilo said:
$25 for your truck?! sounds like someone just sold you some blue tinted bulbs lol. The 4300k bixeon HIDs for my 4x4 ran me about $160.
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Heh I didn't say I bought them.

Plus idiots who put HIDs in non-focused reflector housings that don't keep their lovely light contained to the road in front of them instead of oncoming traffic, get a big figurative flip of the bird from me, driving on completely dark country roads. You gotta buy the focused housings if using them as low beams.

The Silvania high output bulbs work fine in the Yukon. You can really tell how bad the economy is when a $30 light bulb is under lock and key at Walmart though. LOL. I replaced one recently.
 
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