Why we carry flashlights...

[AggieMike88]

I was out enjoying some night flying last night with another club member in the left seat and PIC. I was there in the right seat to help him learn some additional features of the GNS480 and the autopilot and keep him company.

55WB is a very good and stable airplane. But lately there's been a few gremlins in some of the panel lighting. And last night this was manifesting in the post light illuminating the tachometer. It became evident that it was something to do with the contact. When it would go out, if I tapped on it or gave it a slight push into the panel, it would come back on.

About 1-1/4hrs into our flying, the post light went out and no pushing or tapping would bring it back. So I tried a good hard rap with my knuckle on the panel next to the post. (No harder than Sheldon Cooper knocking on Penny's door.)

I don't know what that really did but the end result was that we lost all of the panel lighting and the 480, KX155, and the Autopilot displays went from night time dim to full daylight bright.

No circuit breakers popped and no strange odors... just lots of dark.

We cycled everything, pushed on the breakers, knocked on the panel again, gave it nasty looks, twisted the rheostats, cycled all the switches again, but still a dark panel.

It would have been a perfect scene for Ken Lane in that Airplane Repo show to use before cutting to commercial.

But we had our flashlights with the red LED's handy and deployed them. Alternator was still making electrons, we were straight and level, and the engine was happy.

We weren't that far from KDTO so we returned home with me holding the flashlight illuminating the flight instruments and made a normal landing.

Checked various things on the plane once we were at the hangar, but nothing we tried would bring the panel lights back.

We likely would have made a safe landing anyhow since we have a feel for what airspeed we are at based on sound and visual pitch angle (and how we feel we are reclined in the seat from the pitch angle). But having the flashlight added an element of "comfort" since we could see the instruments plus have some illumination during our trouble shooting efforts.


So, student pilots, if you've ever wondered why your instructor says you can never have enough flashlights in the glovebox/side pockets/console of your aircraft and your flight bag, it's because you never know when your airplane is gonna take a fun night of flying and make it a real memorable experience.

 

[LDJones]

I finally clipped my little red/white LED flashlight to my headset case which is always with me even if my flight bag is not.

 

[denverpilot]

The panel lighting rocker switches on Cessnas are corroding internally and failing. Lots of stories. They're just worn out and old and weren't $0.50 apiece in the 70s when they were first installed.

The rap on the panel probably killed the switch, reverting the circuit to open which triggered the un-dimming of the stuff that was wired to dim.

 

[AggieMike88]

I finally clipped my little red/white LED flashlight to my headset case which is always with me even if my flight bag is not.

I found some good, small, and affordable red/white LED flashlights online and put two of them in the glovebox of 55WB. And one in the car... And one in the kitchen catchall drawer....

Before we pulled 55WB out of the hangar, we actually discussed getting something like this and figuring out how to affix it to the headliner

On Stage LED202R Clip-On LED Light, Red

The panel lighting rocker switches on Cessnas are corroding internally and failing. Lots of stories. They're just worn out and old and weren't $0.50 apiece in the 70s when they were first installed.

The rap on the panel probably killed the switch, reverting the circuit to open which triggered the un-dimming of the stuff that was wired to dim.

Thanks Nate. I'll point this out to the club Mx officer so he has a place to start.

 

[denverpilot]

I found some good, small, and affordable red/white LED flashlights online and put two of them in the glovebox of 55WB. And one in the car... And one in the kitchen catchall drawer....



Before we pulled 55WB out of the hangar, we actually discussed getting something like this and figuring out how to affix it to the headliner



On Stage LED202R Clip-On LED Light, Red







Thanks Nate. I'll point this out to the club Mx officer so he has a place to start.

We had one fail. We also had the crap wiring behind the plastic panel cover that holds the instrument lights get shorted out on the metal " real" panel behind the plastic. Our fix for that was to just replace the while panel cover, wiring and all.

 

[denverpilot]

By the way if it turns out to be the switch, break it open and look inside. You'll be amazed at what crap they are. All "FAA Certified" too. LOL. The guts inside Cessnas rocker switches on the 70s vintage birds is a joke. You'll be amazed they can carry any current at all. And if it failed you'll probably see tons of corrosion inside. Not exactly made of top quality metal. Heh.

 

[John221us]

Headlights are the way to go. I keep two in the plane.

 

[frfly172]

Keep a led flashlight in the plane,also have a multi color led flashlight in the car that I carry on the airplane at night.

 

[EdFred]

Headlights are the way to go. I keep two in the plane.

I tried that, but the car was too big to get through the passenger or baggage door.

 

[pmanton]

Some years back I lost both landing and taxi lights after take off. My home field didn't have any taxi way lights, just blue reflectors. A flashlight out the windows allowed me to find my way back to my hangar.

Paul
Salome, AZ

 

[John221us]

I tried that, but the car was too big to get through the passenger or baggage door.

You gotta have the right car

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[EppyGA]

http://www.theledlight.com/brunton-headlamps.html

Don't takeoff without one, maybe two

 

[denverpilot]

The cheap ones at Home Depot (usually Husky brand) work great. Look for ones that use AAA batteries and not button cells.

 

[Jim_R]

I don't like the AAA models...they get uncomfortable on long flights.

I like this little guy. Inexpensive, has all the bells and whistles (well, okay, no bell...but it does have a whistle!): http://www.amazon.com/Petzl-E02-P2-Headlamp-Integrated/dp/B001SARHV6

Apparently there's also a variant that has a retractable strap, so it takes up even less room (but it doesn't have a whistle!): http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/headlamp/super-compact/elite

 

[danhagan]

I finally clipped my little red/white LED flashlight to my headset case which is always with me even if my flight bag is not.

Headlights are the way to go. I keep two in the plane.

I have two headlamps that use those niCad type batteries. Have had them for several years and the batteries will just not wear out. Bought replacements last year expecting them to fail, and they still haven't.

As backup, the Iphone light is great as a thrid option. This is the one that worked best when I had smoke in the cockpit on a night flight last year, it penetrated the smoke well enough for me to see without being blinding.

 

[John221us]

I have two headlamps that use those niCad type batteries. Have had them for several years and the batteries will just not wear out. Bought replacements last year expecting them to fail, and they still haven't.

As backup, the Iphone light is great as a thrid option. This is the one that worked best when I had smoke in the cockpit on a night flight last year, it penetrated the smoke well enough for me to see without being blinding.

I don't usually remember to use my iPhone as a flashlight, but the app is now built in (with 7.x). Good idea, because it is usually pretty close at hand (don't need to search for it).

 

[Kiddo's Driver]

I have one of these (clip on light with Red LEDs, two adjustable arms) on the glare shield:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0075DNRUA/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And two like this ("headlight" style lights), one in each front seat back pocket:
http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Pro...=1-2-catcorr&keywords=headband+flashlight+red

Plus the usual flashlight in the luggage area (does little good there, but I have three up front.)

Overboard? Maybe.

Jim

 

[PilotAlan]

Overboard? Maybe.

No such thing.
I spent 15 years as a night shift cop. In night operations, losing your flashlight at the wrong time = death.
Bulbs blow, batteries fail, lights get lost in foot chases or dropped in fights.

On my belt I carried a full size Streamlight (with a spare bulb in the tail), a Streamlight Stinger (smaller), and a Surefire tiny (but very bright) tac light.
Then a Streamlight Stylus LED light in my shirt pocket,
Then a Maglight with three sets of D batteries in the car.

There was a night I was into the second set of batteries for the Maglight.
Even in the daytime I carried the Stinger and Surefire. When you unexpectedly find yourself searching a dark place (basement, culvert, storeroom), you have a flashlight and one to hand to the dummy officer who left his in the car.

Now in the plane I have the red Stylus light in the ashtray, a Pelican flip LED light in the pocket on my side, the Surefire tac light is in the glove compartment.
Stylus: http://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-65006-Stylus-3-AAAA-Light/dp/B00008BFS2/ref=pd_sim_hi_4
Pelican clip light: http://www.amazon.com/2220C-Vb3-Led...F8&qid=1387858613&sr=8-8&keywords=pelican+vb3
Surefire: http://www.amazon.com/Surefire-E1L-...87858675&sr=8-18&keywords=surefire+flashlight

 

[Clark1961]

No such thing.

I used to carry a dozen lights. Now I'm down to a reasonable half-dozen...

 

[AggieMike88]

I have one of these (clip on light with Red LEDs, two adjustable arms) on the glare shield:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0075DNRUA/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I purchased one of these earlier today.

55WB has the "skylights" in the roof and someone has put in a Rosen visor style sun shield below these. Makes for a perfect place to clip this light.

 

[Texastaildragger]

Glow from IPad works in a pinch.

 

[txflyer]

Don't leave home without it.

Handiest invention since hydraulics on the farm. :wink2:

 

[denverpilot]

My little sis got me a Petzl brand headlamp for Christmas knowing my penchant for flashlights and headlamps. I'd never heard of them.

This thing is fascinating. It has a mode where it automatically adjusts light output as needed. I was quite skeptical.

It has two different white LEDs of different intensity levels and focal points. The dim one is used in close and the high power one is used further out. Both are on for max illumination. It also has a fixed red LED for red illumination.

If you want, you can disable the automatic lighting level mode and force it to any of the three levels continuously. Or continuous red.

It has an onboard 1800 MAh lithium battery charged via USB cable.

That's a downside for flying but 1800 MAh lasts far longer than a couple of flights worth, even on continuous high illumination mode, and longer on anything else. Red is the longest lasting and it looks like they claim about 18 hours on that setting. Obviously I haven't tested it yet.

It breaks my rule of headlamps needing to be AAA battery compatible to be in the flight bag after having had a few that used button cells.

So... I put it on my head for an after dark pitch black dog walk out here in the country tonight. It was even sticking out from under the hood on my Carhartt coat, where it should have been getting some reflected light from the hood itself as I thought that would be a hard test for it. Didn't think I'd be impressed.

In fact it was quite the opposite. Even with four inches of bright white fresh powder snow on the ground, it did exactly what they claimed. If I looked at my feet, it used the dimmer wide angle white LED. As I lifted my head or just watched the dog go from close to far on his 30' leash, it would switch on the long range high power LED and illuminate him perfectly as he came close and then ran off. If I looked toward the horizon it would go into full tilt boogie mode and light up the neighbor's house two acres away.

Back to the dog, medium illumination. Down at my feet, low. Wow. Cool!

This makes it sound like the lighting level is changing but the effect is that the amount of light back to your eyes (and the sensor on the thing I assume) is kept close to constant as they can. It also seems to be pulse- width modulating the LEDs, they vary in output ever so subtly before the next stage kicks on, but all if this is virtually instantaneous.

You really don't notice it other than seeing the more focused beam of the long-range LED kinda "appear" in the sight picture as you look further away since it's narrower.

Totally cool! I have no idea what it will do in a cockpit setting, and I'd tend to use the red mode for night flying anyway, but the white mode for preflight and wandering in and out of the dark hangar would probably also work really well.

Impressive little gadget. It'll probably get a lot of use out here where there aren't any streetlights!

Apparently they're intended for mountain climbers and bikers and such, although they do have a warning not to use the adaptive thing on a bicycle in case it decides to completely shut off at an inopportune time -- like when car headlights hit it.

Oh, also has a red beacon mode. Flashes the red LED continuously. Not sure I ever want to need that mode in real life, ever, but it's there.

Didn't see a flash mode for white. Probably give someone a seizure so they didn't implement it.

Thing is insanely bright on full brightness mode. There's even a hole in the top that looks like it is there just for airflow to a fairly big heat sink behind the bright white LED.

However it does claim to be waterproof. I wonder if you used it on high power mode in wet conditions if you'd hear water sizzling on that heat sink from your forehead?

I have the best little sister ever! Heh. Very cool. She finds cool stuff.

She also bought me a book titled, " What would Machiavelli Do? - The ends justify the meanness." and told me I'm too damn nice and to read it. Says the whole family gets walked on too much because we just aren't big enough *******s. Or she wrote something to that effect in the front cover anyway. Hahahaha!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0060734809/ref=pd_aw_sims_9?pi=SL500_SY115

Heh. Should be an interesting read. Might be even more fun to leave it lying on my desk at the office.

 

[Shepherd]

I bought a ball cap at Home Depot with 4 LEDs on it for $10.00. I replaced two of the white LEDs with red LEDs. I can toggle white, red or both. Since I always fly with a cap it's always with me. All I need to do is look and it's illuminated.