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CTLS navigation position lights


Slowpilot

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What's wrong with this picture???

I flew my CTLSi at night for the first time about two weeks ago.  As part of my preflight I checked to make sure all the lights came on.  I'd done this before of course, but just a quick check.  Everything looked good and I flew for about an hour and ten minutes at my home (towered) field KRYN doing pattern work without incident or any comment from the tower.  Earlier this week I woke up in the middle of the night thinking, "... the colors are on the wrong sides!"

Sure enough:

Sec. 23.1385 — Position light system installation.

(a) General. Each part of each position light system must meet the applicable requirements of this section and each system as a whole must meet the requirements of §§23.1387 through 23.1397.

(b) Left and right position lights. Left and right position lights must consist of a red and a green light spaced laterally as far apart as practicable and installed on the airplane such that, with the airplane in the normal flying position, the red light is on the left side and the green light is on the right side.  I blame my late night wake up call on the US Navy.  I was fortunate enough to spend 20 years with them, though my last sea duty was in 1984. 

Anyway, how did this go undetected on a 2015 aircraft?  I have since moved the lights to the correct position and realized it probably is not hard to have happened.  Since the colors don't appear until the led is turned on, both lights are identical when not on.  The only identifier is a sticker on the back that is not visible unless the fixture is removed from the plane.  I realize that a lot of CT fliers are sport pilots and never fly at night anyway.

So, if you have a newer CTLS with the Whelen LED wing tip lights, you might want to check them before flying at night.  That company has a nice lighting guide pdf at: https://www.whelen.com/pb/Aviation/System Requirements/Anit-Collision Systems.pdf

Hope you found this useful!

DSCN1805.JPG

Edited by Slowpilot
correct a typo
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