Canada-based NavStrobe Lighting has earned FAA and TTCA TSO-C30c compliance for its Sextant 5.5, a user-installed strobe light system for certificated aircraft.
The kit is a direct replacement for Whelen and Grimes position lights, according to company officials.
The three colored LEDs replace the existing wingtip and rear position bulbs and new clear lens covers replace the existing colored lens covers.
“The human eye is four times more sensitive to colored lights than the standard white strobes,” says Chris Winter, founder of NavStrobe Lighting.
Once installed, the NavStrobe’s LEDs are illuminated using the Nav (Position) Light switch. Switch on to illuminate as solid nav/position lights. Cycle the nav switch off/on once and the colored LEDs switch to strobe mode. A built-in a micro circuit in the LEDs base acts as the controller, Winter explains.
Sextant 5.5 kits include green, red, and white LEDs, clear lens covers, lens cover gaskets, and dialectric grease.
Winter notes the LEDs pull just 1 amp compared to 8 amps for traditional bulbs. And with the nav and strobe lighting supplied by a single LED, owners can remove the strobe switch and controller box and save upwards of five pounds, he adds.
The NavStrobe Sextant 5.5 is available to pre-order at Aircraft Spruce and Specialty. Expected ship date is Monday, March 21, 2022. Price: $399.