beacon light drag

[Badmoonraising]

It seems to take a few years (at least for me) to get an airplane dialled in to were i'm happy. Next on my list is to find a replacement for the dirt beacon sticking way out of the bottom of my airplane. What a huge and unnecessary amount of drag that must produce! Can someone point me in the direction for a replacement product?

[takair]

2 minutes ago, Badmoonraising said:

It seems to take a few years (at least for me) to get an airplane dialled in to were i'm happy. Next on my list is to find a replacement for the dirt beacon sticking way out of the bottom of my airplane. What a huge and unnecessary amount of drag that must produce! Can someone point me in the direction for a replacement product?

Aveo makes some compact lights.  

[Badmoonraising]

Thanks, I will look that up now.

[GDGR]

https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/elpages/aveoredbaronmaxired3.php

not the cheapest option, but very compact. Mine is going in at annual currently. 

[Hank]

This is my old Whelen high voltage flasher after moving the trim ring to their LED beacon. It's VERY bright. The old one was exposed to the paint line. Just remember, nothing for any airplane is inexpensive . . . . .

[tigers2007]

Whelen just came out with a new beacon that is shorter. Unfortunately they don’t have much literature out on it but it’s priced similar to their older LED light. I would hope that with newer technology that it would be brighter than their other offerings.


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[Ragsf15e]

How about wingtip strobes and ditch the beacon all together?!

[hmasing]

22 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

How about wingtip strobes and ditch the beacon all together?!

I have a '68 M20F.  What's involved with that update?  Seems simpler to replace, but I may be ignorant of the realities here.

[carusoam]

40 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

How about wingtip strobes and ditch the beacon all together?!

Beacon has some benefits where and when strobes aren’t very good...

Ground ops is one of these kind of situations... there may be others...

On the road the other day a garbage truck pulled up next to me with the flashing yellow strobe lights next to my window... ever sense the brain not liking flashing lights..?

Best regards,

-a-

[Shadrach]

4 hours ago, Badmoonraising said:

 What a huge and unnecessary amount of drag that must produce!

Huge drag! Surely you’ll pick up .045kts!

[GDGR]

2 hours ago, Hank said:

This is my old Whelen high voltage flasher after moving the trim ring to their LED beacon. It's VERY bright. The old one was exposed to the paint line. Just remember, nothing for any airplane is inexpensive . . . . .

Maybe I should rephrase and say, “it’s not the CB’s option”. 

I like the way it looked, so I splurged. Similar to the SKyBeacon, the Skylight is going on the starboard wing when it’s finally TSO’d

[DXB]

Rather than spend $$ on a lower drag belly beacon replacement, remove it entirely and put the money toward LED strobes at wingtips and tail. 

Be forewarned I fell well short of my desired10kt  increase from going to the expense and trouble 

The legal requirements:

[AlexLev]

57 minutes ago, DXB said:

Rather than spend $$ on a lower drag belly beacon replacement, remove it entirely and put the money toward LED strobes at wingtips and tail. 

Be forewarned I fell well short of my desired10kt  increase from going to the expense and trouble 

The legal requirements:

I have LED strobes and tails. All my friends always comment that when I come into a field at night, my little G looks like an airliner and way cool. You won't regret it!

[tigers2007]

Orion Beacon



The brightest LED beacon I’ve ever seen are the ones on the airliners. I have no clue who sells or makes them but I’m sure they’re pricey. A runner up is Whelen’s LED beacon for helicopters but it’s very tall.


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[Ragsf15e]

2 hours ago, hmasing said:

I have a '68 M20F.  What's involved with that update?  Seems simpler to replace, but I may be ignorant of the realities here.

You can definitely go without the beacon. I have a 68F as well, sn68-0164.  I disagree with Carusaum... or maybe agree... the strobes are really bright and definitely get your attention.  Even on the ground.  Yeah, I wouldn’t stare into them, they might be disorienting.

Anyway, they have to be visible 360 degrees and something like +\- 30 (that’s a guess).  Look at a Cirrus, no beacon. Not that we want to be a Cirrus, but I digress... Whelen makes some.  I have AeroLed.  Mine are 360 degrees just from the wingtips, so the tail light is just white.  They are very visible, don’t use any amps, and don’t burn out (theoretically).  They aren’t real cheap.

Edited March 23, 2019 by Ragsf15e

[Sime]

8 hours ago, Ragsf15e said:

How about wingtip strobes and ditch the beacon all together?!

That's the setup my '76F came with when I bought it in '17.

I would like to also have a low profile LED beacon though...

[Jim Peace]

12 hours ago, GLJA said:

https://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/elpages/aveoredbaronmaxired3.php

not the cheapest option, but very compact. Mine is going in at annual currently. 

Thats what I have......looks great

[McMooney]

I have strobes on both wingtips and the tail,  how can I get a beacon removal signed off ?

[Yetti]

My 75F best I can tell never had the belly beacon

[Badmoonraising]

Thanks for all the input. Most interesting. the previous own actually did install wing tip strobes. I don't know about doing away with the beacon. I am just about to start my night rating. A nice bright beacon should help to make me more visible. A secondary benefit is that I leave the beacon  on all the time. That way if I inadvertently leave the master on I am more likely to catch it. Happened once. 

[carusoam]

BadMoon,

Where are you located? Canada or Europe?

No night rating in the US, just night experience required...

Light requirements are interesting because the details changed over time, related to manufacturing date for your plane... (see post by AlexLev above... for chart)

Of course... these are the US written rules. Which ones do you have to follow?

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic...

Best regards,

-a-

[DXB]

1 hour ago, Badmoonraising said:

Thanks for all the input. Most interesting. the previous own actually did install wing tip strobes. I don't know about doing away with the beacon. I am just about to start my night rating. A nice bright beacon should help to make me more visible. A secondary benefit is that I leave the beacon  on all the time. That way if I inadvertently leave the master on I am more likely to catch it. Happened once. 

If you have LED wing tip stobes, then just leave them on all the time- better visibility than the belly beacon, and perfectly legal.  All you need then is a tail strobe- cheaper than a new LEd belly flasher.  Of course you’ll turn the flashers off when taxiing near other folks at night and leave just position and taxi/landing light on- also perfectly legal - at least in US

[DXB]

15 hours ago, McMooney said:

I have strobes on both wingtips and the tail,  how can I get a beacon removal signed off ?

No special signoff needed, just remove it.  My A&P did need to fabricate a plate to seal the hole.

It’s the LED strobes specifically that make this practical- the power draw and limited durability of the conventional strobes make them problematic to have on all the time

[Shadrach]

5 hours ago, DXB said:

If you have LED wing tip stobes, then just leave them on all the time- better visibility than the belly beacon, and perfectly legal.  All you need then is a tail strobe- cheaper than a new LEd belly flasher.  Of course you’ll turn the flashers off when taxiing near other folks at night and leave just position and taxi/landing light on- also perfectly legal - at least in US

It’s been suggested by many that ground controllers prefer belly beacons because they cast a bright light footprint directly onto the pavement underneath the plane and are more distinguishable amongst the light pollution from taxi and runway lights.

[Prior owner]

Hmmm.....mine is a ‘64 and has a belly beacon only- and no evidence of it ever having anything else from the factory. I suppose a tall beacon on the tail boom belly will meet the 30 degree requirement..?