Aircraft navigation lights

[CheeseBall]

Does anyone know where i can find a realistic Nav light pack for a relatively low price?

 

[ElectriSean]

If you can stand HobbyKing - https://hobbyking.com/en_us/aircraft-navigation-lamp-set.html

 

[sprzout]

If you just want standard lights and you don't want them to blink, you could always wire up your own. Some doorbell wire (which you can buy by the foot at the local Lowes or Home Depot) that you attach to some Red and green LEDs, and then attach it to a set of JST plugs (which you can wire in line with your battery, before it goes into the ESC, or even run a secondary 2S battery to power them). I'm doing something similar with LED light strips that I bought off of Amazon, so I can do some night flying next month at our field's camp out.

 

[JakeyTheHakey]

If you can stand HobbyKing - https://hobbyking.com/en_us/aircraft-navigation-lamp-set.html

May I ask why you say "if you can stand them" ?
Why I am asking is that EVERYTHING is expensive in South Africa and people capitalize on all of it. I was looking at importing as a means of hopefully finding things cheaper. Flite test shop is by far of the cheapest yet. Does Hobby king have a bad reputation?

Earlier today I found www.wish.com (i hope website addresses are fine here) for plugs and wire and LEDs etc. Good bulk prices. Lead times is what I worry about.

 

[Morgan]

May I ask why you say "if you can stand them" ?
Why I am asking is that EVERYTHING is expensive in South Africa and people capitalize on all of it. I was looking at importing as a means of hopefully finding things cheaper. Flite test shop is by far of the cheapest yet. Does Hobby king have a bad reputation?

Earlier today I found www.wish.com (i hope website addresses are fine here) for plugs and wire and LEDs etc. Good bulk prices. Lead times is what I worry about.

Wish is great but the shipping is very long . I know it is to the US any way

 

[sprzout]

May I ask why you say "if you can stand them" ?
Why I am asking is that EVERYTHING is expensive in South Africa and people capitalize on all of it. I was looking at importing as a means of hopefully finding things cheaper. Flite test shop is by far of the cheapest yet. Does Hobby king have a bad reputation?

Earlier today I found www.wish.com (i hope website addresses are fine here) for plugs and wire and LEDs etc. Good bulk prices. Lead times is what I worry about.

I ordered a set of lights from them out of their US warehouse (I'm in the United States, mind you) and I figured it would take a week or two to get to me.

2 months later, and I still hadn't gotten my shipment of lights. Apparently, the US warehouse only had one in stock, and I had ordered 4. They couldn't tell me when it would be restocked, but one would think that, after 2 months, it would have been restocked. I complained up and down the chain, and after 2 months, they finally agreed to ship them out from another warehouse that had them in stock. They didn't want to do that, but it was because I started complaining on various forums and basically raising a stink after trying to get them internally to tell me when I might expect my items.

 

[JakeyTheHakey]

Wish is great but the shipping is very long . I know it is to the US any way

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

 

[JakeyTheHakey]

I ordered a set of lights from them out of their US warehouse (I'm in the United States, mind you) and I figured it would take a week or two to get to me.

2 months later, and I still hadn't gotten my shipment of lights. Apparently, the US warehouse only had one in stock, and I had ordered 4. They couldn't tell me when it would be restocked, but one would think that, after 2 months, it would have been restocked. I complained up and down the chain, and after 2 months, they finally agreed to ship them out from another warehouse that had them in stock. They didn't want to do that, but it was because I started complaining on various forums and basically raising a stink after trying to get them internally to tell me when I might expect my items.

sprzout that is quite a big ouch. I'll think twice on using wish then yeah.

 

[Hai-Lee]

Every year millions of LEDs from faulty christmas tree lights end up in land fill.

If you know what you are doing or have a friend who can advise you can make your Nav Lights from discarded christmas tree lights for almost ZERO cost. Colours of red, green, white and blue are quite common.

Just a thought!

Have fun!

 

[sprzout]

Every year millions of LEDs from faulty christmas tree lights end up in land fill.

If you know what you are doing or have a friend who can advise you can make your Nav Lights from discarded christmas tree lights for almost ZERO cost. Colours of red, green, white and blue are quite common.

Just a thought!

Have fun!

Exactly! I've seen guys wire up Arduino boards and such to have the lights blink out certain patterns, but for just stock Nav lights, if you wanted it to blink like a transponder, it can't be THAT difficult to wire up something smaller than a typical Arduino board. I just don't have the know how myself to do it - I'd have to use some Google-Fu to find out how to set up something like that. That said, it can't be too difficult from the wiring I myself have done for the LED strips for my Bushwacker, or my Versa Wing that I built for night flying...I'm also thinking of putting some lights into the Mustang I'm currently building for our night flights next month.

 

[ElectriSean]

May I ask why you say "if you can stand them" ?
Why I am asking is that EVERYTHING is expensive in South Africa and people capitalize on all of it. I was looking at importing as a means of hopefully finding things cheaper. Flite test shop is by far of the cheapest yet. Does Hobby king have a bad reputation?

I haven't had any truly terrible experiences with HK, but the shipping cost is pretty high for the amount of time it takes to get delivered. From China to Canada is usually a month or more. From the US is faster (to Canada) but they use FedEx for that, and there is always another bill 2 weeks after delivery for customs/duties/etc that is usually half of whatever the original cost was. Like any large online retailer. some people love them and some people hate them. I avoid them if I can.

 

[JakeyTheHakey]

Every year millions of LEDs from faulty christmas tree lights end up in land fill.

If you know what you are doing or have a friend who can advise you can make your Nav Lights from discarded christmas tree lights for almost ZERO cost. Colours of red, green, white and blue are quite common.

Just a thought!

Have fun!

Das a great idea !
Flite Test just informed me they can't ship foam board to South Africa.
So I'm on a quest to find cheap foam board.
BLEH !

 

[FoamyDM]

Every year millions of LEDs from faulty christmas tree lights end up in land fill.
If you know what you are doing or have a friend who can advise you can make your Nav Lights from discarded christmas tree lights for almost ZERO cost. Colours of red, green, white and blue are quite common.

Hey Hai-Lee... we're friendly... right? I do have many xmas bulbs...lights and 3 unused arduino mini boards... that need something to do.
I also have three 5050 strips and, 100-2812b or 2813 LEDs. unfortunately I'm a big noob with this... and have not lit any of my planes. I plugged on in and it was random... couldn't find a way to change it.

Google-Fu

I like that modern martial art.

 

[Hai-Lee]

Hey Hai-Lee... we're friendly... right? I do have many xmas bulbs...lights and 3 unused arduino mini boards... that need something to do.
I also have three 5050 strips and, 100-2812b or 2813 LEDs. unfortunately I'm a big noob with this... and have not lit any of my planes. I plugged on in and it was random... couldn't find a way to change it.

I like that modern martial art.

If no one beats me to it I might see if I can do a thread on making the Xmas lights into nav lights in the new year, (after Xmas and the Xmas bills are history).

Have fun!