Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Anyone have any recommendations for landing light types and locations?

Brent Schultz
KAJO
N6CM

Go with an LED. Put in left wing.

Got mine from Kuntzleman Electronics. High output, low draw. Will probably last longer than me !

RB

My landing light is in the right wing.
It's also got a much rounder leading edge and is a bit thicker behind that.
That, added to the fact that my left wing tip leading edge is the thinnest of any spot on the wing, makes stalls alway drop off on the left wing.
Take care when you make your landing light that the airfoil shape is maintained!!

I have seen many thorps with landing light in cowling air inlets. I would think they could be installed there. Much easier than cutting a hole in my existing wing. What do you think?

It is possible to install one there...however the ones I've seen installed in the cowl inlet are small round "fog" type lamps. Not sure what their output is ? If you go too large of a lite then you run the risk of reducing the cooling to the cylinders. The whole idea of a landing/taxi/recognition lite is to be seen and lite up the area ahead. Buy one of the fog type at Pep Boys and see what the output is.

I like a blinding lite that gets your attention !

RB

Dean Cuke put one in his air inlet,don't know what it is, but it will definitely burn a big hole in the dark.It is very bright on final also,can't miss it. Might check with him on it and see what the devil the little bugger is...........Dan

We had a big headlight in the inlet on n51863 in its first iteration. No cooling effects at all, in fact that airplane ran too cool then and still does today.

_________________
Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

So Lee, do u think Rich's wing light would fit in the metal thorp cheek inlet. Looks like it would. Kin of pricey though. Should I just by an automotive 55w halogen and forget it?

Brent,
There are several options out there. I personally like the wing mounted like as Rich has. But what you really need to ask is whether you need one at all. We left the landing light out of n51863 when we rebuilt it. We never flew at night, there is the obvious argument for safety in conjested areas but with that yellow airplane of yours I don't think many are going to miss you.

If you really feel the need to put a rec/landing light in and you don't want to cut a hole in KB's beautiful wing, then the inlet is the best choice for you. You can find some pretty good automotive units that are already installed in mounts, fairly aerodynamic etc.

Lee

_________________
Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

Should you find yourself caught having to make a destination for whatever reason and find yourself landing just after O-dark thirty, if you have not landed at night in some time, your depth perception will fool you into thinking the runway is farther away than it actually is. This will result in multiple landings per approach. Seeing the runway with a landing light will assist in achieving the desired 1/1 approach/landing ratio. Trust me on this....

Mounting a landing light in the cheek inlet on the baffling will not affect cooling, as the upper cowl is pressurized, forcing the air down through the cylinder fins.

I think that's a matter of opinion. I'd say that if you are 3 pointing it you should be looking down the runway and not at the spot the landing light is shining on. If you're 2 pointing it youre going to set up your standard rate of decent and wait I'll the wheels touch anyhow. I used to teach night landings without the landing light on. I found that inexperienced or out of practice pilots tend to stare at the lighted spot and not where they should. Your depth perception is better looking down the runway than at the spot the light is illuminating. Ive flown Wendell's airplane at night (no landing light) and the strobes do a good job of helping you judge height.

That being said again if you PLAN to fly at night a lot, landing lights have many benefits at the top my list being able to see what you are going to crash into when your engine quits.

But like I said ... All matters of opinion.

Brent, there are a lot of guys waiting to see that airplane when you finish it. Somewhat of a sacred piece of Thorp history.

_________________
Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

My main purpose for the installation of the landing lite was not for nite time flying, but for airborne recognition in the congested airspace in SOCAL and avoid and be seen on the ground during taxi operations at busy airports that have a high concentration of student pilots ! With an LED Landing/Recognition lite I can leave it on as long as I like.

It is a natural tendancy to fly to the spot on the deck that the landing lite illuminates. In the Navy we called it "Spotting the Deck."

RB

Thanks for the input guys. We are workin hard on the bird. Firewall forward pretty well squared away. Electric trim is nearly done, but we are working on bracket to hold flap actuator. We currently are discussing panel flap switch vs. stick switch. Hopefully we will be doing first engine runs in a month or so. Take care and happy landings!

Brent