LED Navigation Lights for Experimental Aircraft

These lights have been designed with a significant extra margin so the measured light output exceeds the FAA minimums by at least 10% in all directions and exceeds the FAA minimums by as much as 50% in some directions. Step-by-step instructions on how to confirm FAA illumination compliance are included in the instructions.

All the LEDs are carefully angled to give the required candlepower in each direction. The FAA requires that there be at least 40 candlepower directed straight ahead, tapering to 5 candlepower to the sides, and considerably less above and below the centerline. That is why most of the LEDs are directed straight forward and only a few are directed at large angles to the rear, top, and bottom.

The red LEDs produce more light per watt than the green LEDs. Thus, the red position light only draws about 0.2 amps. The green side draws about 0.3 amps. Typical incandescent position lights are 27 watts each and draw a little over 4 amps for the pair. Obviously the LED units are much, much more efficient. One of the big differences is that the LEDs produce only the exact wavelength needed while the incandescent lamps produce a wide spectrum that must be filtered down to just the color needed. Thus, most of the wattage is blocked and thrown away by the filter lens.

These boards have the current regulators that hold a steady current though each of the LEDs. This makes the light output steady regardless of fluctuations in the voltage supplied by the airplane. These position lights will work on any voltage between 10 and 30 VDC.

There is quite a bit of redundancy built into these units. I took a “belt and suspenders” approach in the design. Instead of using a single voltage regulator for the whole light, I opted for multiple current regulators controlling small groups of the LEDs. In that way, only a few of the LEDs will go dark if a component fails. Quite a few components would have to fail to make the light go completely dark.

LEDs typically last 100,000 hours, so you won’t be changing any LEDs very soon, likely never.

The lights are supplied either as kits or completely soldered, tested and ready to install in your aircraft. (some other assembly and trimming may be required and is dependant on the size of your wingtips and the options you choose below)

Before you place your order be sure you select your desired options below.