Landing lights

mswmsw said:
Seems like the consensus is that the LED light - like the Whelen Parmetheus - is only a little brighter/stronger than the old halogen lights, though they last longer and have significantly less draw. I want a LOT more light, so I am wondering if the HID light is the way to go, even if it costs me a bit more. Has anyone here done a single light install of a LoPresti BoomBeam? Does that one throw a "lot" more light out? I want something where when you turn it on when taxiing at night, you will say "Wow, that is a LOT brighter than what I had before!"
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My work sells many Boom Beams on Hawker jets but we don't do GA aircraft. A handful of Cessna 182 & 210 drivers on cessna.org have the RMD wingtips and HID lights in them, and love them.

Maybe LoPresti will give you a money back guarantee?

The other easy option is the exVision I posted earlier, maybe they would do a money back guarantee too.

If you want a ton more light HID is the way to go. I love correctly installed HID's in cars, there's nothing else like them.
 
PilotAlan said:
Fixed.

Where'd you get the LED bulbs for the position lights?
I now use the pitot heat to check the ammeter, the landing light doesn't do it.
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Wag -Aero- As I think about it they may have been closer to $30 ea.
I use the pitot also, but am careful not to burn it out.
 
bnt83 said:
My work sells many Boom Beams on Hawker jets but we don't do GA aircraft. A handful of Cessna 182 & 210 drivers on cessna.org have the RMD wingtips and HID lights in them, and love them.

Maybe LoPresti will give you a money back guarantee?

The other easy option is the exVision I posted earlier, maybe they would do a money back guarantee too.

If you want a ton more light HID is the way to go. I love correctly installed HID's in cars, there's nothing else like them.
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My concern is the high cost of HID burning out, What the estimated life and the cost of the sealed beam bulb?
I was happy with the increase from GE4509 to led, I heard HID,boom beam and such were brighte rbut I wanted something that was reliable( longevity) With the single lighted Cherokee if you have one burn out you then have nothing brighter or not vs. the guys with two or three maybe no issue for them.
 
el con said:
My concern is the high cost of HID burning out, What the estimated life and the cost of the sealed beam bulb?
I was happy with the increase from GE4509 to led, I heard HID,boom beam and such were brighte rbut I wanted something that was reliable( longevity) With the single lighted Cherokee if you have one burn out you then have nothing brighter or not vs. the guys with two or three maybe no issue for them.
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HID shouldn't have the vibration issues that incandescents do. There are many other forums in the automotive and heavy equipment that discus HID durability. I have no first hand experience with HIDs mounted in high vib areas like a SEP GA cowling but it should be fine.
 
bnt83 said:
HID shouldn't have the vibration issues that incandescents do. There are many other forums in the automotive and heavy equipment that discus HID durability. I have no first hand experience with HIDs mounted in high vib areas like a SEP GA cowling but it should be fine.
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That would be good as HID's are a pretty pricey set up also $800-$900 for a single light set up.
Nice thing about the led's were they were drop in fit ,no wire changes,no power supplies like strobes or I think HID's have also.
 
We're up to six pages of "How many pilots, mechanics, and FAA people does it take to change a lightbulb?", now?

The thread should be tagged "bad joke". Haha. Sheesh.
 
el con said:
My concern is the high cost of HID burning out, What the estimated life and the cost of the sealed beam bulb?
I was happy with the increase from GE4509 to led, I heard HID,boom beam and such were brighte rbut I wanted something that was reliable( longevity) With the single lighted Cherokee if you have one burn out you then have nothing brighter or not vs. the guys with two or three maybe no issue for them.
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One bulb in almost 5000hrs on our SR22, IOW the bulb just died recently on a 2006 bird. If I had to guess I would say that it was vibration related because if you banged on the bulb it would come on again until it got banged on (or vibrated) again, thinking loose connection inside the bulb assembly. Price was ~$175 for the bulb IIRC
 
mswmsw said:
Seems like the consensus is that the LED light - like the Whelen Parmetheus - is only a little brighter/stronger than the old halogen lights, though they last longer and have significantly less draw. I want a LOT more light, so I am wondering if the HID light is the way to go, even if it costs me a bit more. Has anyone here done a single light install of a LoPresti BoomBeam? Does that one throw a "lot" more light out? I want something where when you turn it on when taxiing at night, you will say "Wow, that is a LOT brighter than what I had before!"
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LED technology is a vast improvement over halogen and incandescent lighting products. And while it is a noticeable upgrade, it simply cannot match the intensity of an HID product. Current consumption (amperage) is similar between the two. Price point is the difference in which an HID will cost you about twice the price. However, if you want the brightest light available, then HID is the choice.

I discovered Xevision (www.xevision.com) and they were great to deal with. I opted for a 50 watt nose and 35 watt for the wingtips. Xevision knows HID lighting! These lights were installed in 2005 and I leave the wingtips HID's on constantly and have never had failure or an issue. Concerning Lopresti, while their boom beam was one of the first HID's to hit the market, they have lost touch with reality. Anyone who is paying upwards of $1000 for an HID needs their head examined!
 
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CT Arrow said:
LED technology is a vast improvement over halogen and incandescent lighting products. And while it is a noticeable upgrade, it simply cannot match the intensity of an HID product. Current consumption (amperage) is similar between the two. Price point is the difference in which an HID will cost you about twice the price. However, if you want the brightest light available, then HID is the choice.

I used Xevision (www.xevision.com) and they were great to deal with. I opted for a 50 watt nose and 35 watt for the wingtips. Xevision knows HID lighting! Concerning Lopresti, while their boom beam was one of the first HID's to hit the market, they have lost touch with reality. Anyone who is paying upwards of $1000 for an HID needs their head examined!
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Great post about HID's thanks for the input! :thumbsup:
 
CT Arrow said:
Current consumption (amperage) is similar between the two.
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Sorry. I love HID, but they are not the same.
The xevision HID is 15 amp startup, 6.5 amp running. EDIT: 7.5 amps startup, 3.25 running. (the 337 I was looking at was for two HID lamps, not one)
The Whelen Parmethus is 1.2 amp startup and draw.

For the vast majority of planes, no biggie. But I only have 37amps to play with, the 5.3 1.15 amp running difference is 14% 3% of my alternator output. That is exactly the reason I went LED rather than HID. And is not a big deal.

No doubt, HID is the best thing out there, but some of us don't have the amps.
 
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PilotAlan said:
Sorry. I love HID, but they are not the same.
The xevision HID is 15 amp startup, 6.5 amp running.
The Whelen Parmethus is 1.2 amp startup and draw.

For the vast majority of planes, no biggie. But I only have 37amps to play with, the 5.3 amp running difference is 14% of my alternator output. That is exactly the reason I went LED rather than HID.

No doubt, HID is the best thing out there, but some of us don't have the amps.
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Not exactly http://xevision.com/hid_specs.html#xv1d. Most folks are running 35 and 50 watt versions that use less than 6.5 amps running.

Whelen LED beacons show a peak current that is around 3x the running load, which makes me believe they aren't telling us the whole story on their landing/taxi light products, leaving out the inrush current specs.

XeVision's XV1D or XV4D Balasts:
75 watt: 6.4 Amps Running @ 12 Volts
50 watt: 4.6 Amps Running @ 12 Volts
35 watt: 3.2 Amps Running @ 12 Volts

Max inrush current at 13.5 volts
75 watt: 10 Amps
50 watt: 8 Amps
35 watt: 6 Amps

Max inrush current at 10 volts
75 watt: 12 Amps
50 watt: 10 Amps
35 watt: 8 Amps


AeroLED:
Sunspot 36HX: 3.25 Amps Max
Sunspot 36LX: 3.75 Amps Max
Sunspot 46: 7 Amps Max


I also find it odd that Teledyne's PMA shows their products as direct replacements (drop-in even owner can do it, no BS STC's, not an alteration) for OEM (Cessna, Beech, Piper etc) part numbers and even some GE part numbers. Yet the gentlemen from AeroLED's could NOT get their products PMA'ed the same way and they had to be STC'ed?

http://www.teledynelighting.com/pdf/PMA PQ4015NM Supplement 1 for 2307055-1.pdf
 
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PilotAlan said:
Disregard. The 337 I was looking at was for installation of *2* HID lights, one in each wingtip. So the amp draw is half that.

Original post edited.
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LED & HID's aren't the same indeed. But current wise I don't think its enough for 95% of aircraft owners to decide on that alone. Its the $$$ that gets everyone opting for LED's.

and ease of installation...
 
bnt83 said:
LED & HID's aren't the same indeed. But current wise I don't think its enough for 95% of aircraft owners to decide on that alone. Its the $$$ that gets everyone opting for LED's.

and ease of installation...
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Indeed. When I was looking, I didn't know about xevsion, and I wasn't going to pay LoPresti's insane price for a Boom Beam. I may have to talk to my A&P about getting a 337 for an xevision pre-cleared.

I have heard noise on another mod that some inspectors will not approve a 337 if there is an STCd alternative (like the Boom Beam).
 
PilotAlan said:
Indeed. When I was looking, I didn't know about xevsion, and I wasn't going to pay LoPresti's insane price for a Boom Beam. I may have to talk to my A&P about getting a 337 for an xevision pre-cleared.

I have heard noise on another mod that some inspectors will not approve a 337 if there is an STCd alternative (like the Boom Beam).
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Yep, if an STC exists some inspectors will refuse a field approval of a similar product and tell you to buy the STC'ed product. All inspectors are to refuse approval of minor alterations submitted on a 337, simply because the form is not required and the Field Approval process says to. As this thread has proven the major vs minor alteration determination itself gets muddy especially by less experienced mechanics.

In the case of LoPresti having an STC'ed HID system vs a non-STC'ed HID system like XeVision's products, where does it say in the regulations I am bound to STC'ed product I don't want? If I can prove compliance with the regs, it doesn't matter if STC'ed or not.

If you have one FSDO refuse, then submit to another one.
 
bnt83 said:
If you have one FSDO refuse, then submit to another one.
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We were prepared to do this but my AP had a great working relationship w/ the inspector. We had to submit one additional form detailing the light and it's specs. Windsor Locks FSDO signed off on it and we were good to go!

Knots 2 u was offering HID lights as well. It's another option for comparision...http://www.knots2u.com/HID Light.htm

And I forgot about this article which gives a great overview on HID lighting
http://www.knots2u.com/hidaviationconsumer.htm

And for those of you who are really intrigued on how HID operates:
http://www.aviationconsumer.com/newspics/pdfs/36-3-HID.pdf
 
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Ok, so one of my two wing mounted landing/taxi lights in my 182E just burned out. I have a 14V system. Which LED lights fit my bird?
 
Morne said:
Ok, so one of my two wing mounted landing/taxi lights in my 182E just burned out. I have a 14V system. Which LED lights fit my bird?
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flyingcheesehead said:
GE 4509's, I presume?
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I'm going to go with "Yes" - That's the setup our 182N has.

Go here: http://www.whelen.com/pb/Aviation/Product Sheets/Parmetheus_Series.pdf

What you want is a PLED1L for your landing light and a PLED1T for your taxi light. They'll pay for themselves pretty quickly if your experience with the 4509's is anything like ours was. I posted pictures from our 182 before and after the mod in Post 219.
 
Just ordered both the landing and taxi LED lights. Also ordered the lens cover, because of course I dropped mine, cracking it, when removing it.
 
I'd put my 10,000+ lumens of LED landing lights against your HID's any day of the week. Total draw with all three lamps = 120W (40W each), 3,400 lumens each. Each one is about 12x brighter than the GE quartz I used to run in the cowling. I've done the math and my landing lights (wig-wag or steady) offer the same illumination power as Qty:9 120V narrow beam (home) spotlights.

I clearly illuminate the first 500' of runway environment while still 200' off the deck with absolutely no PCL runway lights helping (pitch dark).
 

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JSumeracki said:
I'd put my 10,000+ lumens of LED landing lights against your HID's any day of the week. Total draw with all three lamps = 120W (40W each), 3,400 lumens each. Each one is about 12x brighter than the GE quartz I used to run in the cowling. I've done the math and my landing lights (wig-wag or steady) offer the same illumination power as Qty:9 120V narrow beam (home) spotlights.

I clearly illuminate the first 500' of runway environment while still 200' off the deck with absolutely no PCL runway lights helping (pitch dark).
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You're on! :D That description sounds a lot like what I experience in the Mooney now, with two 50W XeVision HID's and two Parmetheus Plus LED's.

What LED's did you use?
 
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