This tail beacon doesn't work and before I spend any time figuring it out, I am thinking about an Aero LED Sunbeacon. Here is a picture of what I have and the schematic for Aero LED. Is it a simple take mine off and remove the power pack at the bottom of the verticle. Then easlily mount the Sunbeacon and hook it up to 24 volts coming back to the tail? Does anyone have a different strobe that they really like instead that would easily fit?

I prefer tip strobes and scrap the one on top of the tail all together.

I installed a Sunbeacon atop the tail and was sufficently pleased that I installed another on bottom of fuselage, synchronized.
Given the crack adjacent the fairing mounting screw seen near posted photo's bottom it appears your plane still has the original, crack-prone plastic fairing; recommend replacing fairing with fiberglass version such as Stene's, or at least reinforce the plastic with fiberglass cloth (I did, but will still replace/upgrade it).
IIRC, Aeroleds recommends using welding goggles (!) when inspecting whilst illuminated. Good advice, that.

A1Skinner wrote:I prefer tip strobes and scrap the one on top of the tail all together.

I’m with him^^

MTV

I have one on the back of my 180, it is super bright.

I saw what I think was one of those Sunbeacons on a 185 yesterday.
Still not as clean as a beacon-less fin, but less of a wart than the other options.
And pretty bright when it's flashing.

I have a strobe similar to yours mounted on top of the fuselage--
looks cleaner, but the top of the fin seems to have the best light coverage if you only want a single beacon.
IMHO strobes aren't much use during daytime, so since I'm pretty much a day vfr guy I'll just stick with my single strobe.

A1Skinner wrote:I prefer tip strobes and scrap the one on top of the tail all together.

This is the way

mtv wrote:

A1Skinner wrote:I prefer tip strobes and scrap the one on top of the tail all together.

I’m with him^^

MTV

I'm with them ^^^^

I went beaconless as well. Only way I'd keep it is if I were going to be doing a lot of night flying into controlled busy airports, not really what most Skywagons do, but your mileage may vary.

A1Skinner wrote:I prefer tip strobes and scrap the one on top of the tail all together.

^^^^^This

Two questions. First, for those that did the Sunbeacon, how are you liking it? Two, what are the rules for going beaconless? Just tip strobes? I hadn’t heard of this before this thread.

Thanks! My beacon is having issues so I’m investigating options.

Grassstrippilot wrote:Two questions. First, for those that did the Sunbeacon, how are you liking it? Two, what are the rules for going beaconless? Just tip strobes? I hadn’t heard of this before this thread.

Thanks! My beacon is having issues so I’m investigating options.

Beacon less

It’s drag, it looks like crap, it’s extra wire and weight and more stuff to break

Also as someone who has done lots of night flying especially in bad weather and at odd hours, you’ll see recog lights, you’ll strobes, but the beacon doesn’t really help in the air

Rules wise there is a diagram of where you need to be able to see the strobes and navs and all, but I don’t have that image handy


The only use I have for a beacon is letting other know you’re about to start up, or to let you know you left the batteries on, but a quick flash of the strobes before start and leaving the LED navs on all the time does the same thing

I’d just chuck that soup can off the tail and never look back

FAA says you need an anti-collision light for certain operations for certain airplanes. Strobes or beacons can meet those requirements. There's an AC 20-30B with individual requirements but any TSO/STC beacon or strobe meets all that technical jazz.

Maules, for example, have only strobes. The switch in the cockpit for them is labeled "anticollision lights"

91.205 (unless type certificate or required equipment list for aircraft is more stringent)

VFR Day:
"(11) For small civil airplanes certificated after March 11, 1996, in accordance with part 23 of this chapter, an approved aviation red or aviation white anticollision light system. In the event of failure of any light of the anticollision light system, operation of the aircraft may continue to a location where repairs or replacement can be made."

VFR Night:
"(3) An approved aviation red or aviation white anticollision light system on all U.S.-registered civil aircraft. Anticollision light systems initially installed after August 11, 1971, on aircraft for which a type certificate was issued or applied for before August 11, 1971, must at least meet the anticollision light standards of part 23, 25, 27, or 29 of this chapter, as applicable, that were in effect on August 10, 1971, except that the color may be either aviation red or aviation white. In the event of failure of any light of the anticollision light system, operations with the aircraft may be continued to a stop where repairs or replacement can be made."

AeroLED and Whelen WAT both make LED nav lights with anti-collision strobes built in. Order from spruce, install and have your IA inspect and file the 337. Remove the old can and wiring to the tip.

Thanks all. I found that AC and came to the same conclusion. Beacons are running about the same as a new tip light…so this seems to be a good time to get rid of it. A comment on Spruce had a guy put the Skysensor on his tip as a minor alteration…something I may or may not have been considering anyway…so this might be the route I go and ditch the Stratus (I already have the Skybeacon).

I'll be the oddball here. I like all the lights I can get. My old beacon recently died and I replaced it with the Sunbeacon. It's far brighter than the original and is another light that can be seen from behind. It's smaller than the original beacon so isn't a lot of drag. Everyone likes their pulsing LEDs facing forward but there aren't many lights facing aft. I don't want to get run over from behind.

I did what KG did. I like more lights. The Sunbeacon switch is always on in my plane lest I forget to turn the Master Switch off. If I do forget I get a nice reminder to turn it off when I get out of the plane. I did the full monty on LEDs. Could not be happier. I ordered the entire kit from Stene Aviation in Polson MT.

MW

Here's an illustration out of (I think) the Spruce catalog, showing approved anti-collision lighting.



I had a real clean, small fin-top strobe on my last airplane.
I'd like to put one like this on my 180 if I found the correct fin cap.
Unfortunately this was an Aeroflash & they're out of business.
And most of the fin caps I've seen are either clean (no beacon) or set up for a large ("soup can") beacon.

hotrod180 wrote:And most of the fin caps I've seen are either clean (no beacon) or set up for a large ("soup can") beacon.

Stene Aviation has all 3 styles, clean, and both sized caps, the large soup can and the smaller one.

Here is a picture of mine with the small beacon.

How brights are those new rudder top strobes?

Having flown many a dark story night, I just wonder how much that would put out (giggity)