71685 Landing Light Kit Installation Instructions
Overview
The 71685 Whelen landing light kit is designed to install into the wingtip lens area of an RV. Its important to note that the tip installation of this light is not an ideal choice for a landing light location due to the obstruction of the tip cutout sidewall. But it does provide a suitable location at a low cost, without having to cut into the leading edge of the wing. The challenge of installing this light is to get the light as far outboard on the tip as possible so as to have the best chance of getting the light ahead and forward of the plane. Shown here is an aluminum plate cutout that represents the mounting surface. Your surface will be fiberglass. Kit components
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71685 light assembly 71685 mounting bracket Nutplates and rivets Screws and washers Nylon angled spacers Springs Molex Connector and pins Installing the Light
1. Remove the existing backing plate from the light. This can be discarded. Remove wingtip and place it up on a table or other stable location to be worked on. 2. Take note of the small colored round covered hole on the back of the light. This is a cooling hole. 3. Take the mounting bracket, mark one side front, and countersink the holes for the ears of the nutplates on the front side. 4 nutplates will be installed. DO NOT countersink the holes where the screws will go! Those Amazing Performers LLC 678‐571‐9319 Cell 110 Aviation Lane version .02 Gold Hill, NC 28071 1 | P a g e 4. Place the light on the bracket and line up the holes in the light with the holes in the bracket. Take a look at the back of the bracket and see where the cooling holes are just for orientation. Make a mark where you will place a bend in the bracket. 5. Place the plate in a clamping device like a vice or brake. Tug on the top gently while taping the bottom lightly with a hammer to put a bend in the plate at your bend line. You want about 25 degrees of bend. The # of degrees is not critical. 6. Install all 4 #8 nutplates on the back side of the plate using the rivets and nutplates provided. 7. The inboard side of the plate is the square side, the outboard is the curved side. Place the light on the front side of the plate and install the #8 SS 1” screw and one washer on the inboard light hole. This screw will hold the light in place while you install the light with the springs. Be sure to orient the light on the plate with the cooling hole. 8. Now we are ready to get a handle on where the light cutout will go. Lets review a couple of things Those Amazing Performers LLC 678‐571‐9319 Cell 110 Aviation Lane version .02 Gold Hill, NC 28071 2 | P a g e a. The light needs to go as far outboard as possible. This gives you the best angle opportunities to get the light pointed forward. b. The light needs to also be as low as possible to not be obstructed by any nav/strobe light assemblies. Take a few moments to get an idea of how the light will get pointed forward and down to the needed illumination area. c. Picture shown on the first page is the installation on a typical RV 7/8/9 installation. 9. Set the light assembly up into the tip and get an idea of how it will orient. If you set the light up against the outboard side of the tip, you can see if the bracket needs any final trimming to get further outboard in the tip. You may find you need to trim some off. 10. Cut out the light hole in the tip. Hole size should be ~2 5/8” x 1.5” square. The actual size is not that critical. Use the template provided. Clean the hole up and make the lines look nice. Folks will be poking around your cool lights and you want it presentable. 11. Drill the 3 holes for the #8 screws that hold the light in place on your mounting surface. Use the template provided. The outboard screw hole should start ~5/8” from the outboard edge of the lens area. On the outboard hole, after drilling the hole perpendicular to the mounting surface, angle the drill while drilling to be parallel with the wingtip edge to give the screw a straight shot at the bracket. The nylon spacer provided will be installed to deal with the angle. 12. Cut the springs to length with your favorite cutting tool. You need 2 springs 3” long, and 1 spring 1” long. Those Amazing Performers LLC 678‐571‐9319 Cell 110 Aviation Lane version .02 Gold Hill, NC 28071 3 | P a g e 13. Install the light in the tip. Picture shows the order of the parts. Screw head, washer, nylon spacer, washer, mounting surface, washer, spring, washer, light assembly. Suggest a little bit of oil on the screws for ease of installation of the screws into the nutplates. The springs provide tension and allow the light adjustability. 14. Wire up the light and give it a test. I know, you tested that already just to see it work 15. With your plane leveled, adjust the light to the angle desired, Mark a spot on the wall of the height as a reference. You want ~3 degrees of down angle on the light with the plane level. 16. Check all avionics systems for interference from this installation. 17. Go fly and make any adjustments. Wiring
No matter your installation type, the light wiring should be protected by a fuse or circuit breaker. A nice article on wire size by the man himself Bob Nuckolll http://teamaerodynamix.com/products/articles/wiresize.pdf . A 20ga wire and a 2 amp fuse will protect the wire. If your using 2 of these lights on a single circuit, a 3 amp fuse will do the trick. No shielding is necessary on LED devices. A molex connector has been provided to disconnect your lights at the wingtip for easy tip removal. A how to article from Bob below on crimping these great little pins. http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/matenlok/matenlok.html Red wire +12VDC. Black wire GROUND. Other references.
Mounting plate 5052 Aluminum Whelen 7168501 Light: Weight with Lens 0.28 lbs. (127gm) 2.07” (53mm) x 3.64” (93mm) x Depth: 0.979” (25mm) 1.0 amps @ 14 VDC Light color White Polycarbonate 30º optic spreader lens Whelen 5 year aviation LED warranty Those Amazing Performers LLC 678‐571‐9319 Cell 110 Aviation Lane version .02 Gold Hill, NC 28071 4 | P a g e Check the drawing for scale when printing with an actual ruler! Those Amazing Performers LLC 678‐571‐9319 Cell 110 Aviation Lane version .02 Gold Hill, NC 28071 5 | P a g e Kit contents
Qty Description 1 4 1 2 2 9 1 1 3 8 1 Light mounting bracket K1000‐8 nutplates #8 Stainless Steel Screw 1” #8 Stainless Steel Screw 2” #8 Stainless Steel Screw 4” #8 Stainless Steel washer Installation Document 7” spring, or springs cut to size (2 3”, 1 1”) Nylon washers angled AN426AD‐3‐3.5 rivets .093 Molex pin connector Those Amazing Performers LLC 678‐571‐9319 Cell 110 Aviation Lane version .02 Gold Hill, NC 28071 6 | P a g e