If you are getting into the RC hobby, no doubt you are fascinated with all aspects of the hobby. A large section of RC pilots are trying their hand at night flying which is a really great, fun way to continue flying even after the sun goes down! This is a really great way also to beat the extreme summer temps that we have been experiencing in the states. Often, it turns out the best time or the only bearable time to take to the skies has been at dusk or later.
Many RC'ers who are new to the hobby can be intimidated with the wiring and circuitry of LED lights and this causes many to leave this exciting aspect of RC flying to the more experienced pilots or those familiar with wiring, soldering, etc. However, I wanted to highlight a product that I recently ordered, which makes getting your plane setup for night flying a breeze.
The product is the G.T. Power RC Simulated LED System. You can pick up the kit at Common Sense RC. The description of the product is an "easy to use scale lighting set suitable for 30-60 size scale model Helicopters and Aeroplanes. The system includes: 2 Red Beacon, 2 White Strobe, 1 Red and 1 Green Navigation Light, and a set of White Landing lights. What I like about this setup is that it doesn't look cheesy or like some flying Christmas tree that is barreling through the sky. It is a "simulated" kit meaning it is a "real" lighting scheme that makes for a very realistic flying experience.
The lights look very much like a real plane in the air which adds to the experience IMO. Granted, if you need more light to help with your orientation, this may not be the kit for you since there is only (1) LED both Red and Green for navigation, but these are VERY bright and do the job and look scale. However, beginning night pilots might need more. However, this will definitely be a personal preference or a skill level type question that pilots will have to consider for themselves. I very much think that if even a beginning pilot has his or her orientation skills down solid, they will have no problems with this kit and stay oriented.
I recently installed these on my modified Hawk Sky, or my "Mach Hawk." You can check the plane out under the "Modified Hawk Sky" link in my Hangar section. This has turned my Mach Hawk into a great night flying plane that definitely is a blast to fly.
Specifications:
- Input Voltage: 4v-6v
- Current: 30mA
- Main Control Board Size: 35 x 24 x 8mm
- LED lead length: 600mm/pc
- Weight: 35g
I have attached the instructions for setting up the GT Power system below so you can check out how it is setup and just how easy it is to get this setup up and going.
- Check out the PDF instuctions for the system: LEDsystem
Wiring
The beauty of this system along with its realistic setup is there is no soldering or leads that need to be made to make this work. Most of the frustration with many in getting LEDs wired is trying to figure out the connections. This system is made to plugin to one of the channels of your receiver to draw its power. So, all you need is a receiver with an additional free channel to power the lights and you are good to go.
Final Result
