Wing mounted landing light.

[Guitarmaster]

Goona call Mooney this week, but I thought I would put some feelers out here.
My idea is to install wing mounted landing lights like the Ovation in my "F". I believe this could be done through a 337 
since the M20 wing has them in later models. 
Does anyone have a link to or drawings of the Ovation wing, specifically the landing light install?

[carusoam]

The topic has been covered before...

Not sure to what level though...

Expect searching will provide some costs associated with the install.  

The benefits for night flight are tremendous...

Using LED lights is great.

Best regards,

-a-

[Andy95W]

ISTM using the LASAR mod to move the oil cooler to the back of the baffling and installing a 2d landing light in its place (also a LASAR mod) would be the fastest, cheapest, and least hassle way of getting basically the same benefit.

Not as cool, though.  I get that, too.

[carusoam]

Balancing @Andy95W‘s idea against the wing mounted alternatives...  many have gone to Lasar for parts and STC...

-a-

[ArtVandelay]

Anything you put on the leading edge of the wings is going to increase drag, you will probably lose a few knots of speed.

[highlowfastslow]

My E came with the wing landing light. I like the look. The plastic cover on the light is also flush with leading edge of the wing so save for the screws i don't think drag is too bad. Love the clean lower cowling too. I'll take a look at the paperwork next week when i'm at the hangar to see if I have anything that could help. 

[ArtVandelay]

My E came with the wing landing light. I like the look. The plastic cover on the light is also flush with leading edge of the wing so save for the screws i don't think drag is too bad. Love the clean lower cowling too. I'll take a look at the paperwork next week when i'm at the hangar to see if I have anything that could help. 

Can you provide a close up of your landing lights? Mine and others that are aftermarket have a rather intrusive frame around the plastic cover.

[Raptor05121]

I want this mod more than anything. Wing-mounted lights look downright sexy on final

[Yetti]

I want landing lights on the landing gear.  All three of them.

[carusoam]

Somebody really loved fastslowhighlow’s E before she got to her present home...

That’s a lot of high end mods.

Es get a lot of long term ownership at the right time...

A great post retirement plane, fast, low cost to acquire, low cost to operate....

Best regards,

-a-

 

[bradp]

I seriously was considering designing some landing lights in those little fiberglass fairings aft of the landing gear on my J.  Or mounting some small ones to each landing gear leg - Whelen now makes some tiny tso lights which would be a minor mid and done. 

[Guitarmaster]

My E came with the wing landing light. I like the look. The plastic cover on the light is also flush with leading edge of the wing so save for the screws i don't think drag is too bad. Love the clean lower cowling too. I'll take a look at the paperwork next week when i'm at the hangar to see if I have anything that could help. 

That would be great!

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[Yetti]

The three led of these mounted to the Landing gear that sticks out would be nice.  Run the wire down the brake line.    For the A&Ps  what would this entail for a sign off?   I would add a flasher to wig wag them in flight.

 

 

[cliffy]

They would be cool to use BUT--

Anything attached permanently to the airplane has to meet certain parameters to be legal. 

First the part itself must be legal to install on a certified airplane. Not all of Whelens products are legal to install.

Secondly, it must be installed with reference to "approved data". That can be 43.13, an STC, factory drawings, etc. 

Third, it will require a sign off. ANYTHING done to a certified airplane requires a sign off. Even a nav bub change. 

As much as I would like to do the same, the requirements may preclude that option. 

[M20F-1968]

I have a 1968 F and have Ovation landing and taxi lights in both wings.  You can e-mail me at john.breda@gmail.com or call me at (617) 877-0025.  I also used HID landing and taxi lights.  They look like I lighted up a stadium.

John Breda

[bradp]

To do the three light thing  as a major / rate limiting step would the definition of the "approved data" part.

Lights - if they have and meet a TSO - that's s great start and may be your key to a simple logbook entry.

Doesn't appreciably alter... - would have to be invoked by a friendly AP to avoid a major alteration / 337.  For a 337 you would likely have to show with engineering data that installation of the lights and their mounting in the landing gear assembly would not bind in or otherwise interfere with function of the landing gear. For those with inner gear doors, the whelen lights pictured above may be able to slot in along the little bushings that position the doors off the gear leg and brake caliper. If it's wham bam done, then great enter it as a minor in the logbook.  Else it may have to fall in as a major with a need for drawings  and such.

 

[Guitarmaster]

The three led of these mounted to the Landing gear that sticks out would be nice.  Run the wire down the brake line.    For the A&Ps  what would this entail for a sign off?   I would add a flasher to wig wag them in flight.

 
 

Interesting idea. My plane goes in for annual next week. I'll ask my IA about it.

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[Guitarmaster]

I have a 1968 F and have Ovation landing and taxi lights in both wings.  You can e-mail me at john.breda@gmail.com or call me at (617) 877-0025.  I also used HID landing and taxi lights.  They look like I lighted up a stadium.
John Breda

John, I'll get in touch with you this week. Thanks!

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[highlowfastslow]

Unfortunately I couldn't find any paperwork other than the 337. It says: RETROFIT MOONEY M20J WING LANDING LIGHT ASSY STA. 133.00/118.25. INSTALLED MOONEY KIT PN 210417-502 USING SUPPLIED PARTS AND WIRED PER MANUFACTURER INSTRUCTIONS (33-40-00). 

Here are some close ups of the landing light as requested.  pics. I should really remove the lens and clean it....

[N201MKTurbo]

If the 337 has a signoff from an FAA principal inspector or a letter from a principal inspector that would make it a field approval, then the 337 could be used as approved data.

I didn't sleep in a holiday inn last night but I did just attend a two day IA refresher course even though I'm not an IA.

[N201MKTurbo]

If I were going to do this, I would put together a data packet for submission to the FAA for field approval. Include the drawings from the Mooney kit, The Mooney kit part numbers. Any photos and 337s from previous installs. Include an electrical load analysis and any additional wiring and circuit breakers and switches along with W&B information. Have your IA review the data package and send it to his principal inspector for review before you start any work. The principal inspector will let him know if all the "i"s are dotted and the "t"s are crossed and let him know if he has any problems with the modification. Make any suggested changes to the data packet and then send that in for the formal field approval.

I took four classes on 337s and field approvals taught by FAA principal Inspectors. They all said that they hate it when you do a bunch of work and then seek approval afterwards. They all said they like to be educated. You can't assume the principal inspector is a Mooney expert. There are checklists available on the FAA website for getting field approval. As long as you address all the items you will get the approval. They all said they want you to be able to do your modifications, but you have to be in compliance with the regs.  If you can't figure out how to get in compliance with the regs, they can probably help you with that.

I was talking with a Principal inspector about getting my IA and I told him I probably don't have enough spare time to do four annuals a year on four different airplanes. His response was there is no requirement to do four different airplanes. He said there is no limitation on how many annual inspections you do on an airplane in a year. I said "So I can do four annuals on my plane in one day?" He said there is no regulation prohibiting that and it would satisfy the IA currency requirements.

He went on to say that he had a better plan for me. He said that an IA only needs to complete one progressive inspection plan a year. Take your check list and split it into two three or four parts and submit it to the FAA as a progressive maintenance plan. He said it would be approved without any hassle. Then all I have to do is two or three mini annuals to meet the regs.

Edited March 11, 2018 by N201MKTurbo

[Guitarmaster]

Unfortunately I couldn't find any paperwork other than the 337. It says: RETROFIT MOONEY M20J WING LANDING LIGHT ASSY STA. 133.00/118.25. INSTALLED MOONEY KIT PN 210417-502 USING SUPPLIED PARTS AND WIRED PER MANUFACTURER INSTRUCTIONS (33-40-00). 
Here are some close ups of the landing light as requested.  pics. I should really remove the lens and clean it....

This helps a lot. Thanks!

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[ArtVandelay]

This is what they look like on an Ovation:

[cliffy]

I wonder if you could get a letter of "No Technical Objection" from Mooney and put them  both sides? I'm thinking of  C model with LED bulbs (legal bulbs :-) and a wig-wag system for collision avoidance.  Then think how bright the landing zone would be ?  Saw LED wig-wag once on an RV and even in the day light it was waaayyy bright!

[MB65E]

I’ve done that with a few aircraft. I have Walter Extra’s signature on some things. I kinda geeked out about that one.

-Matt