RV-10 Navigation Lights

While scrounging around the many websites created by fellow RV-10 builders, I came across a different way to install navigation lights. NAV lights allow other pilots in other aircraft to determine whether you are going away, coming towards, or passing across their flight track at night. There are specifications regarding these lights, but mostly they need to be bright and visible, yet not obnoxious to the pilot and passengers in the plane. The tips of the wings are made of fiberglass and have a cutout area to mount the lights.














Jeff Bordelon (www.jeffsrv-7a.com/LEDPROJECT1.htm) created a simple and clean installation. Very impressive. I placed my order just before he decided to pack up his house, build a new one, and move. I had plenty of other things to do, so I patiently paced the hangar. Upon their arrival we tore open the boxes and laid out the parts. After a little figuring, I couldn't see why we couldn't give them a little test.


"Jim" from a few doors down showed up (finishing an RV-9a) and with Becky's supervision they "lit" one up with a 12v source set to deliver less than 2 amps. The lights themselves draw less than 1 amp per assembly!! This pic is taken with all the hangar's 8ft fluorescent lights on!




There's basically a strobe plate and a NAV plate assembly consisting of an aluminum base plate with the LED's, an attached heat sink, and all the electrical wires. Over the base plate a mirrored piece of Plexiglas is placed with cutouts that line up with the LED's on the aluminum plate. Each plate is trimmed to not interfere with the lens which is placed over the lights to protect them.




The wingtip is cut to accept the mounting of the two plates.





After being satisfied with the placement of the plates, the lens is trimmed to fit the wingtip and taped in place.




Now, just for kicks, we turn off all the hangar lights and turn on the Cessna's NAV lights. Then, without looking at the LED's, we light up the Bordelon Beauties and compare the outputs. NO COMPARISON! Clean, simple and bright installation. Very impressive.

Life is a Potpouri

We have always had an aquarium in our house. Our first one was next to our bed in our first home together, a single bedroom apartment. We housed "Perry" the piranha. Bruce worked graveyard and would feed Perry live goldfish as he left the apartment each night. Perry feasted well into the nights, often waking me up with his crunching the little orange tasty bites. Perry has since left our lives and we have moved onto many other aquatic friends. Of late we have purchased and enjoyed the many colors of discus. The big ol' girl in the middle is the last left of the three we originally had. She used to pick on one runt quite ferociously but now there are so many others that she doesn't know what to do. I can call her "she" confidently because she lays eggs just about every time I clean the tank. Hopefully she will find a mate in this bunch of young ins.


The greenhouse is bulging with growth. These pictures were taken a couple weeks ago.





I now digress...

We had dinner with Robin and Nate where they announced that we will, once again, be grandparents. I thought my husband was just being sweet in wanting to cook me a romantic meal when Robin bounced into the house, and a pre-planned, although, unbeknownst, to me (is that a word?) celebratory dinner ensued.
By the way that is not an alcoholic beverage in her hand, she indulged with sparkling cider.

I am now utilizing both green houses because I have had to re-pot to bigger pots that take up more room.




A mere bunny trail...

Susan and Karina came up from CA for four days of pure unadulterated scrap booking. It was a cutting, gluing, creative frenzy.

This weekend we installed bathroom vents in each green house to move out the 120 degree heat since the sun is coming out more. The outside soil is probably within a week and a half of tilling so the end is in sight. I am interested to see if germinating so early is going to cause some twist in the productivity of the plants. So far the plants themselves look really healthy. I had to take great care in replanting into bigger pots because the base of the stem on some plants are very fragile.




I noticed that some creature liked the tomato plants when they were quite small...slugs and snails were the culprits. So far the "organic" slug bait isn't working, so I turn to my trusty friend the salt shaker and hunt after dark.


And now a parting shot...

A Sunday Evening at Lenhardt

The weather has been cold, windy and rainy this weekend. I have not gotten a flight in at all. I enjoy weather watching, waiting for that window to open. This is what I saw while contemplating "go" or "no go". A step out the hangar door shows me some promise. Although, I don't care for the dark clouds.


The windsock doesn't look too bad, winds out of the west at about 5 to 8 knots.


A glance down runway 20, a squall to the south and dark clouds.


Looking down runway 02, shear beauty!

(I sent Jack Lenhardt these same pictures and this was his response concerning the photo above: "This is what I pictured 50 years ago that the airport could look like. I am thinking it may be a good cover for the next printing of my book if that's OK with you. Thank you, Becky")

I choose "no go" and to stay and enjoy my surroundings.


So, back in the hangar I find Bruce testing and installing the navigational lights on the wing tips of our RV-10. The right wing tip needs to have green lights and the left needs to be red. I think we will be visible to the space station with how bright they are.


The nav lights that we chose are made up of a bunch of small LED bulbs. Usually there is just one small bulb in the wingtip that doesn't throw light very far.


The area that houses the light fixture is all aluminum so that the light reflects radially.


During the annual check of our Cessna 172 we decided to replace the original (1978) pressed vinyl interior panels with upholstery. Being the only female in the group I got to choose the fabric. What you see on the door is black vinyl and a printed fabric that pretty much matches all, and I mean all, the different beige's in the cockpit. There must be 6 shades in various places.


Later this week I will update our burgeoning greenhouses. I sure wish the weather would warm up so I could put the plants into the ground.