Night Taxi in a Taildragger

[deltazulu]

If you use the same configuration on the landing lights for a taildragger that you use for a nose dragger, will the landing lights still light up the taxiway good enough to taxi at night? It seems as if you aimed them exactly the same...with respect to the wings...the tail dragger landing lights would point more up into the sky rather than down to the runway/taxiway when it is on the ground. May be a dumb question, but any exerience with this?

[captain_john]

Yup, I have.

I am sure that we are not alone.

The Citabria I fly has one light. It shines where it wants to. So long as it shines in front of the plane, I am happy. I believe this can be improved upon.

I have installed a pair of Duckworks in the wings. I plan on aligning one for taxi and the other for takeoff/landing.

Sound feasible?

CJ

[Spike]

I think I would consider one in each wing. One aimed high for when on final approach, and one aimed lower for taxi.

-- John

[tshort]

Stu and I have been practicing night ops in the 170 and in his RV-6.

As the CFI, he maintains that I (we) should be able to make an approach and landing with no lights at all - best to practice the worst case scenario, so if it ever happens for real it is no big deal. So I'm not allowed to use lights.
He has been known to practice night approaches into one of the local grass strips without having the runway lights on (and without landing lights) - just so he knows he can do it (only on moonlit nights, mind you!).

You can "focus" the Duckworks lights for whatever area suits your needs.

Thomas
-8 wings

[svanarts]

I don't fly at night BUT I do have the old original Duckworks lights, one in each wing. One angled for taxi, one angled for flight. The taxi light probably needs to be aimed a bit better but they do seem to be adequate for night landings. I should probably replace the stock bulb I got, it's a 55W Halogen fog light. Might shed a bit more light if I could bump that up.

[captain_john]

Thomas, I agree with you and the no light landings!!!

That isn't to say that I still like to have them!

When I did my complex checkout, my instructor failed my landing lights, cockpit lights and the airport lights all at the same time!

It was a RIOT!!!

CJ

[bmurrish]

I should probably replace the stock bulb I got, it's a 55W Halogen fog light. Might shed a bit more light if I could bump that up.

I went with the standard Duckworks lights in each wing. I am replacing the stock bulb with these http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProduct ... Silverstar . I found them at a local Autozone for $15 each. Not HID, but better than paying around $450 for each of them.

[cjensen]

That's exactly my plan too Bill! Silverstars are great!!

[svanarts]

That's a good find. What model number bulb did you end up using?

--- RB Lists - Electrical Systems <support@rivetbangers.com> wrote:

>
> svanarts wrote:
> I should probably replace the stock bulb I got, it's a 55W Halogen fog light. Might shed a bit
> more light if I could bump that up.
> (end of quote)
>
>
> I went with the standard Duckworks lights in each wing. I am replacing the stock bulb with these
> . I found them at a local Autozone for $15 each. Not HID, but better than paying around $450
> for a each of them.
> --
> Bill Murrish
> RV-8 Wings
> _________________________________________________________
> rivetbangers.com - Discussion topic
http://www.rivetbangers.com/cgi-php/for ... =8818#8818


--
Scott VanArtsdalen
RV-4 N311SV, FLYING!!

"love knows not its own depth
until the hour of separation."

-- Kahlil Gibran
Submitted via email

[cjensen]

I haven't bought my bulbs yet, but another builder, Brad Oliver, has the ones that end in H3. Not sure which 900X it is though. Brad thought the H3 had the same base as the bulb that comes with the kit. I plan to build my own landing light setup, but based on the Duckworks kit.