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trailing edge on a laminated extension strip about 1⁄2 inch wide made of 1⁄32 plywood (bot- tom) and 1⁄32 balsa (top) for a total thickness of 1⁄16 inch. That matched the wing skin thickness with an appropriate length along the span.


Two pieces of 1⁄32 thick ply, 1 inch long by


1⁄2 inch wide with a full radius on the for- ward end, would wedge the installation onto the trailing edge of the wing skin as shown in the pictures and then a hole was match drilled through the whole assembly, tapped for 0–80 threads and a 3⁄16 0–80 fas- tener driven through the assembly to lock it into place.


I also hardened up the hole in the balsa wing skin with some CA and let it cure be- fore finalizing the installation. To adhere the LED strings to the extensions a good smooth, non porous surface is required and I coated the bottom side (1⁄32 plywood) with an epoxy finish that worked perfectly for this. Now all that would be required would be to connect the segments together with a short connection of conducting wire, stick the strings in place and the wing installa- tion would be done.


The next item of business was to make a wiring connector harness that could hook all the lights together and then to the 3-cell battery pack used for flight. For this I used Deans 3-pin connectors with three female plugs hooked in parallel to a single male plug that would be hooked to a power tap adaptor. This would plug into the balance charging lead on the pack.


It proved to be an afternoon’s worth of work with each portion of the harness and lighting hooked together and function test- ed before moving on to the next portion to be fabricated. This is highly recommended as once the lights are applied with the sticky back material, removal is almost im- possible without destroying the lighting strip. So pre-check everything before final installation and you will be way ahead. Routing of the wiring harness will de- pend on the configuration of your aircraft, so the final distribution harness will re- quire some creativity on your part, but the basics for any installation will follow the model shown here. Because the current draw in these LED strings is so low, the possibilities for lighting are limited only by your imagination and/or your wallet. So dream big.


A dramatic photo taken 45 minutes after sunset with night picture setting on camera and the strobe turned off. Compare this to the lead photo on page 50, taken with the strobe lights turned back on. Although the individual LED lights are clearly visible at this close distance, the further away the model is from the eye or camera, the more the lights blur into a single continuous line.


It seems the more spectacular the light- ing installation the better it looks and the more interesting others will find it. Not to mention being more visible in the air at night.


Once finished, the next step will be flying with such an installation in an environ- ment you may not be used to (darkness). A good strategy is to launch for the first few times late into the evening while there is still light enough to see and you can bail out safely if something does not feel right. Then continue flying into the ever darken- ing sky.


Usually a limit of only one flight in the late evening while learning this talent seems to be a good strategy. Then, as you become more skilled you can stretch it fur- ther and further into the night hours. Fly- ing with a full moon will also help maintain visual reference as you gain experience.


Sources for LED Lights and Accessories http://www.superbrightleds.com http://www.ledlightsworld.com http://www.environmentallights.com http://www.ledliquidatorsinc.com


http://www.harmony.net.cn http://www.amazon.com


LED strips Accessories


LED strips Accessories


LED strips


RGB controllers LED strips


RGB controllers LED strips


LED Liquidators Inc. products are also available through Amazon.


FLYING MODELS


One of the biggest problems is that you will have to maintain a sort of 3D map of the surroundings as the darker it gets, the surrounding obstacles will begin to disap- pear and a collision with a dark object in the middle of the night is very easy, as any night VFR pilot will tell you, if it is not properly marked and illuminated. So con- fine all of your early flying in a nice big open field with no nearby trees, or to an area you know very well (i.e., every tree and bush pervades your mental picture of the area).


Soon you will be able to make several flights during an evening without breaking a sweat. It’s a great way to fly, particularly if you are flying a very stable and easy to fly aircraft like the K.I.S.S. which will easily fly itself. Later, after you have become more adept you can transfer the lights to a more maneuverable model that will also be more demanding to fly.


You will also have to place lights on it so that you can tell the top from the bottom for work with unusual attitudes and other is- sues. With enough practice this too will be mastered and you will have a whole new time slot of flying opened up to you. One other final item. You might want to let the neighbors know what is going on so they don’t end up calling the United States Air Force and other local authorities. It’s amazing how much one of these things look like something from “Close Encounters of a Third Kind” in the dark of night. And since there is no real noise from an electric pow- ered aircraft like the K.I.S.S. it is very easy to see how things could be misconstrued by neighbors who are unfamiliar with our hob- by. So unless you want to end up talking to the “Men in Black” who carry badges, let the neighbors in on what you are doing.


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