Aero LED 36LX and 36HX PIREP

[Seth]

As some of you followed, I went ahead finally with a purchase and install of LED Landing and Taxi Lights on my Mooney Missile.

 

The Mooney Missile uses the K cowling on the J airframe and thus right now my aircraft is wired for one landing light even though the K cowling has two lights. 

 

After my own research, other PIREPS, reading all I could, I decided to go with the Aero LED 36 series.

 

The 36LX and 36HX now throw the same amount of light (the LX used to be less bright).

 

The reason I did not go with Whelen is that in the Par 36 size they do not seem bring enough from what I had read (maybe the new 40% brighter bulbs are different).  I have heard many people happy with the size Par 46 Whelen blubs.

 

The 36LX is an LED lamp that turns on and off.

 

The 36HX has many functions where it can be on, off, pulse, wig wag, and work with another 36HX bulb.  It is also more expensive.

 

I purchase the HX as a tax light with a 40 degree pattern vs the landing light which is a 10 degree pattern.  

 

I'm going to have my MSC run a second three way switch for the taxi light - on, off, and pulse, and the landing light will stay on the original circuit.  That way I will be able to pulse my taxi light during the day and easily have both on steady or one off, one pulsing, etc . . . I'll work to see how it looks. 

 

I decided to only have one pulse and a wig wag would not make sense with the bulbs right next to each other.

 

I have flown twice now at night with the new lights.

 

They have a much wider field of vision and are very bright.  They are better in all regards except price (hopefully never switching again) and distance.  The runway is still lit up just fine as you get closer but I do feel the runway doesn't "light up" until you are closer then when with the old style bulbs.  It was very bright once I was closer, and frankly, better than the old landing lights when taxing and during taxoff/landing, but the light did not throw quite as far on approach.

 

I will take this trade off any day as I won't have to worry about  no light landing (3 since I've owned the Missile - and his two landing lights!!).

 

I am pleased with my decision and will give another PIREP once I get the pulse feature in place on the taxi light (for recognition purposes, I figured the wider beam made more sense to pulse).

 

Also, after my first flight with these at night, my hanger neighbor (a flying club aircraft) had two pilots conducting a night cross country for a commercial certificate and commented on how bring the landing/taxi lights were (in a good way).

 

-Seth

[Rustler]

Nice report. You've drawn a good word picture of the effects of your replacement, and that is a real help for those of us considering a similar change. Thanks.

[Seth]

The Aero LEDs 36 are brighter than Whalen 36. However, the Whalen 46 is bright enough and much less expensive than the Aero LED product for the same size.

I should have taken a picture when I had one landing light in of both regular bulb and LED as I one working bulb they had not burned out and installed the taxi light second.

The LED does not have the "focal point" a regular bulb has and that's why I think it doesn't throw light as far. However, it throws more light In wider cone. It throws enough light for landing, and is fantastic for taxi and movement around the airport - much better than a regular bulb.

The runway lights up when you are closer on final by just a bit - but the entire width of the runway lights up instead of just two focused dots (I had two landing lights) further out.

Other pilots have commented that I have a "bright" aircraft in the pattern. This was partially about recognition. Can't wait to get the pulse feature wires up - no extra hardware - just a three way rocker switch and connect an extra wire coming out of the light.

-Seth