Let’s Talk Giant Scale/Night Flying Basics
Tips for installing a high-intensity lighting system
Over the years, flying giant-scale airplanes at night has increased in popularity, and for good reason. Not only is it fun, but it also presents an exciting challenge that daylight flying cannot provide. When I decided to try night flying, I used my giant-scale CARF Models Edge 540. I had logged many flights with the Edge 540, and so was very familiar with its flight characteristics. For this column, I thought it would be helpful to review the basic light kit installation techniques and discuss a few flight tips to help you at night. So, if you’ve ever thought of trying some night flying yourself, this should prepare you for what you are getting yourself into!
THE BASICS
I wanted a proven, off-the-shelf, easy-to-install light system, so I went to Aurora RC, as they offer several light packages. Designed for the smallest ultra-micro airplanes all the way up to 40 and 50 percent giant-scale gassers, they have kits to fill everyone’s needs. For my 1/3-scale Edge 540, I used the Aurora kit, intended for aircraft up to 42 percent scale. This package comes with wing mounts mounted at each end that have one 20-watt LED with a 140degree viewing angle; LED drivers for both the wing and tail LEDs; four high-power, 3-watt LEDs for the tail posts with the required mounting accessories; and hardware, such as wire extensions and JST connectors.
You’ll also need a drill, epoxy, a felt tip marker, some 1/8-inch light plywood, four 4-40 bolts and blind nuts, as well as a ruler, a hobby knife, CA glue, rubbing alcohol, and a 3-cell 2100mAh 11.1V (or larger) LiPo battery pack.
INSTALLATION
On each wingtip, you will need to install a preassembled mount that consists of a carbon fiber plate and post. You’ll then install a 20-watt LED at both the top and bottom of the post. These lights are extremely bright and really illuminate the wing and a good portion of the fuselage. Within the tube is the wire routing that goes to a factory-assembled connector. It is basically a simple bolt-on assembly. I decided to make the wing mounts removable by using two 4-40 socket head bolts. I made light-ply attachment plates the same size as the carbon mount plates. The attachment plates are then glued in place. It takes no time at all to mark and drill out two holes for the 4-40 attachment bolts.
To gain access to the 4-40 blind nuts on the inside of the wing, I made a slot on the underside of the wingtips. I cut two circular discs, 3/4 inch in diameter, out of light ply, which I glued on the inside of the wing so that I could drill out and install two blind nuts on each wingtip.
To prepare the areas where the mounting plate would be glued, I scuffed the surface with 80-grit sandpaper and cleaned the areas with rubbing alcohol. A batch of 30-minute epoxy bonded the plates and disks in place. Once the epoxy cured, I installed the blind nuts and used medium CA to hold them in place. I also used thread-locking fluid on the bolts. With the lights installed, I soldered up some wire extensions to supply power from the fuselage to the wings. I used the wire supplied in the kit, and JST connectors for that task. I cut the wires to length and then soldered the connectors in place. I routed the wires with the aileron servo wire so that they exited the wing at the same location. To ensure that both wires would stay secure during flight, I used a foam wire keeper from Abell Hobby.
Installing lights on the horizontal stabilizer is made quite simple by
using the two plastic mounts included in the kit. The taillight posts clip into place, so all you have to do is glue the plastic mounts to the stabilizer. The composite stabilizer tips are rather thin, so to add some strength I made a light plywood disc and glued it to the tip of the stabilizer. I then drilled the hole to accept the plastic mount. As I did with the wingtips, I prepped the tail area with 80-grit sandpaper and cleaned the surface before I epoxied the light plywood disc in place. I then clipped the stabilizer lights in place and soldered up an extension wire. Since this extension is internally routed, I ran the wire next to the elevator servo wires and made an access hole on the underside of the stabilizer so I could connect the tip lights to the extension.
Within the fuselage, I used Velcro™ to secure the driver board assemblies, as well as the 3-cell 2100mAh battery at the model’s center of gravity. Two driver boards are installed on my airplane, but they are connected to one another, so I only needed to supply power to one driver. The power is automatically applied to the second board. I set up the two boards so one was secured on the left side of the fuselage and the other on the right side. I ran the power and ground wires from each board to the wing panels on the same side. The left drive is for the left wing panel and right drive for the right wing panel.
There is another driver for the tail lights, which is much smaller in size and plugs into the right main driver to run power to the tail. You’ll need to make a Y-harness so that separate power and ground can run from the one tail driver to both stabilizer halves.
The whole light system installation is quite undemanding, and a single 3-cell LiPo battery drives the entire system. There’s an external switch to arm the system. Though the tasks are all fairly straightforward, take your time while routing the wires. Now, let’s go flying!
FIRST FLIGHTS
Before taking to the night skies, I ensured everything was working properly. Since the hardware on the wingtips and tail would affect my model’s performance, I made a few practice flights before sundown. I flew in fairly close, performed a few rolls, turns, and other maneuvers. I wanted to get the feel of the aircraft and the different throttle settings I would need for my first few flights. Once everything checked out and was deemed bulletproof, I was ready for the night!
There is no doubt that it will take you some time to adjust to how the aircraft presents itself in the night skies. I recommend keeping the airplane in rather close. On my first flight, I performed a gentle takeoff and kept the airspeed low with about half throttle. I performed some oval patterns with varying bank angles until I became familiar with how the airplane looked.
If you’re out too far, it will appear that you are looking only at the wingtips because they are so bright. With time, your comfort level will increase enough to keep the airplane closer in. At first, it can be somewhat blinding to look directly at the wingtip lights. Try to look at the entire aircraft as a whole. At the end of the first flight, I performed a few rolls, as well as a few hesitation rolls. Like everything else, with time comes familiarity. Don’t rush yourself.
On the next few flights, I gained confidence and began to push the aerobatic envelope. In almost no time, I was performing harrier rolls, low knife-edge passes, snaps, and so on. The lighting system is so bright that it actually illuminates some of the ground as the airplane gets lower in altitude. As a side note, I found that there are a few blind spots when flying my airplane.
On approach, you need to be intuitive about the aircraft as you turn into final. At this point, the airplane is rather level, and therefore the lights can be somewhat blinding. So, as a night pilot, you need to know your control inputs and the amount of control it takes to turn your aircraft. The shallower you make your descent, the less you are able to see the entire airframe. In addition, I found that flying on a dark night is a lot easier compared to a sky lit up by moonlight. As odd as that may sound, flying in moonlight presents the same visual issues as flying in bright sunlight. So, avoid the moon and any other backlit areas while flying. Also, always have a spotter with you. The spotter should pay close attention to the aircraft and help you maintain orientation while you’re flying.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Flying at night is quite a challenge, but with the proper flight training, it can be done safely. I had flown many smaller airplanes at night, but I had never used a lighting system as impressive and sophisticated as this one from Aurora RC. Within a few flights, I was fairly comfortable, but everyone’s learning curve will be different. Use a trusted spotter and follow all of your normal safety procedures when starting up your aircraft on a dark flightline or pit area. Enjoy yourself and respect your aircraft.