Wing Tip Strobes

S

sfrancis

New member
I have a 1960 Bellanca 260 14-19-3. I bought Whelen Wing Tip Strobes that are STC'd for my plane. I need help and recommendations for installing the wires in the wings. Not very many areas to go thru in the wings. The left wing I can get access thru pitot access& landing light but after that I stop at the spar!
 
I recently parted out a 14 19 3 and if I remember right the wiring for the nav lights went just in front of the rear spar. There was also wiring for strobes, but no indication that strobes were ever installed. There are several inspection holes along the rear spar that you can open up and see if that is where your wires run.I dont recall how the wires came through the tank bay, or the wheel well. I hope this helps._____Grant.
 
My 260B had strobes added sometime in the past. They ran the wiring aft of the rear spar until the most outboard inspection hole in the trailing edge of the flap bay and then drilled a hole in the spar to run the wire through.

Steve Jones
'66 260B
 
Interesting;
N8533R has 'fruit jar' strobes top & bottom on the fuselage. These sure look draggy. It would be nice to change to flush wingtip nav & strobes like later Vikings and use the Whellan A-500 combination tail light with strobe tube.
I'm just sayin' :wink: That's after we get the engine & prop rehung and annual completed, then fly it for a while.....then yank out old avionics, fix those odd problems that old airplanes bring out once they get back in the air etc....
Scott
 
I have those tall strobes on the belly and top of the vertical on my 74 Viking. I wonder how much speed these cost, I know the factory went to flush one's ,I believe in 79. I also have an adf long wire that goes up to the tail, wonder how much speed this cost me????? Never see more than 140 knots out of this bird. How about using that Whelen A 500 on top of the vertical tail???
 
I don't think you would want the A-500 rudder tail light on top of the tail. First, it's got the wrong shield shape that controls the angle of light projection. Second, it contains a regular light bulb plus the strobe tube, you don't need the bulb and third, it's too expensive.
I'm thinking that the little Whelan glass cover is nice and small, if there is an adapter to fit this over the base of the 'fruit jar' lense, the drag would be reduced a lot. These old strobes are modular, and have a built in power supply base.
I'm not sure about the strobe on your vertical fin tho- it probably has a remote power supply?
Replacing the big jar lens with the little 'bubble' lens should be possible...
Here is a link from Aircraft Spruce' catyalog on lighting requirements:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/pdf/2011Individual/Cat11484.pdf
And here is the replacement parts list. It looks possible to replace the largest lens with one about 1/3 size with existing parts? The smallest lens would require an adapter...which might lead to 'issues'?
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/whelenstrobeparts1.php
 
We got into the tail thru the baggage compartment today. The two fuselage strobes share one common power pak that weighs 3.5 pounds. The strobe heads are mounted separate in this aplication. I would like to go with the wing tip mount, but running the wire out the wings seems hard when reading the previous posts. Plus adds weight, tho not much.
 
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