uAvionix Tailbeacon Wired to Beacon Power

radaskiewicz

I plan to install the uAvionix tail beacon on my 1976 Lance. I don't want to wire it to the nav & panel lights dimmer/switch because then, the panel lights and nav lights will always be on. Thinking it might lead to more frequent lamp failures. I would rather use the power wire to the tail rotating beacon since I switch that on every flight anyways and I do not normally use the nav & panel lights. According to the uAvionix, the tail beacon uses 3 watts of power. I calculate that to be a little over 0.2 amps at 14V. So, I don't believe this will overload the rotating beacon circuit. Anyone else done this or have some input? Thank you.

Scott Sherer

Sounds like you have this well thought out. Great job

Brooksby1

I understand your reasoning, but since this is a certified aircraft using an STC, It is my understanding that you must follow the STC. The instructions do indicate that it is intended to be a position light. Have you talked to Ryan at uAvionix?

radaskiewicz

Scott, No, I have not. After thinking about this and reading the STC, I agree that it may be best to just install it as prescribed. I actually ordered my tailbeacon yesterday and will be installing it next week in place of the tail position light.

Scott Sherer

OK, good to know. Post a couple of pics when you get done. Thanks for the update.

radaskiewicz

I completed the installation of the tail beacon on my Lance. The installation went very well. It took us (me and A&P) about one hour to complete. One issue we had with the installation was that the supplied screws were a machine screw and the removed screws were a sheet metal screw. We couldn't reuse the old screws because the tail beacon has a mounting flange that gets installed and the thickness of the flange made the screws too short. Fortunately, I have a selection of hardware in my hanger and my A&P and I were able to use some that I had available. Another issue was that the wires from the old light were a bit short and we had just enough room to make the crimp of the butt splice onto the existing wiring. Once we had it installed, the setup with the app took just a couple of minutes. The next day, I flew the test flight of about 20 minutes under the mode C veil of the Phoenix class B. I then requested the automated report and everything was perfect with zero errors. I am using a King KT-76A transponder with my tail beacon.

Scott Sherer

Fantastic! I'm so happy for you! Project done, just in time Happy ADS-B in 2020!