LED Beacon - what can and what can't I do myself

Standard Change CS-SC031b
EXCHANGE OF CONVENTIONAL ANTI-COLLISION LIGHTS, POSITION LIGHTS AND LANDING & TAXI LIGHTS BY LED TYPE LIGHTS
1. Purpose
Exchange of anti-collision lights, position lights and landing & taxi lights by LED type lights.
2. Applicability/Eligibility
Aeroplanes not being complex motor-powered aircraft, rotorcraft not being complex motor-powered aircraft and not approved for NVIS and any other ELA2 aircraft.
3. Acceptable methods, techniques, and practices
The following standards contain acceptable data:
— FAA Advisory Circular AC 43.13-2B, Chapter 4; and
— FAA Advisory Circular AC 43.13-1B, Chapter 11, Section 15 (on bonding).
Additionally the following applies:
— anti-collision lights are authorised in accordance with ETSO-C96a or later amendments, or equivalent;
— position lights are authorised in accordance with ETSO-C30c or later amendments, or equivalent;
— the equipment is installed at the same location with identical light distribution angles and colours;
— the equipment is qualified for the environmental conditions to be expected during normal operation;
— instructions and tests defined by the equipment manufacturer have to be followed; and
— any modification of electrical wiring is performed in accordance with acceptable practices such as the aircraft maintenance manual or Chapter 11 of FAA Advisory Circulars AC 43.13-1B and Chapter 4 of AC 43.13-2B.
4. Limitations
Any limitations defined by the equipment manufacturer apply.
5. Manuals
If needed, amend the AFM with AFMS containing equipment instructions for operation, as required.
Amend ICA to establish maintenance actions/inspections and intervals, as required. In particular, consider description of required maintenance actions after failure of single LED segments.
6. Release to service
This SC is not suitable for release to service by the Pilot-owner.

As always, if you have a cooperative person/organization you can install it if they agree to release it for you.

Andi, the question is not what you can do or not. Because you may do close to anything on your plane (except only a very few things). The question is: are you authorized to release it to service and if not who will do so.

In this case you are not, so you need an examiner who will release it to service for you. So this typically involves proposing the amendments, discussing the things to be taken into account (more or less: what is influenced by the amendment) making proper documentation and present to the examiner what you have done. If you schedule it neatly you could make the amendment on or just before an annual inspection, so when the examiner comes that you could present it together with the annual.

Let’s suppose you are in a SDMP under part M light and you are your own CAMO

In that case you (as the Aircraft Owner) are legally responsible for the standard of work done on your plane.

So if you are competent to change these lamps can you release them to service?

Is this right or wrong? All comments most welcome

Let’s suppose you are in a SDMP under part M light and you are your own CAMO

„Own CAMO“: Potentially confusing wording. CAMO is a specifically defined, NAA (nat. aviation authority) approved company. An owner can declare an AMP or elect the controlled environment of a CAMO, the latter formulating and approving an AMP.

In that case you (as the Aircraft Owner) are legally responsible for the standard of work done on your plane.

Correct in the case of owner declared AMP, yes.

So if you are competent to change these lamps can you release them to service?

No. CS-STAN does not allow the owner pilot to issue a CRS for this particular task.

Trivia: While nav lights and anti coll lights need E/TSO or similar approval, landing lights do not.
You could get these https://www.aero-lites.com/ or even those https://www.handxen.com/products/led-sealed-beam-par46-replacement-5-75-spot-narrow-light-xenon-white-6000k if you find a Pt. 66 to sign the CRS.

Archer-181 wrote:

So if you are competent to change these lamps can you release them to service?

Yes and no. Not simply by virtue of having an SDMP. A CAMO does not perform maintenance – it manages maintenance. So if you have a SDMP it is your responsibility to ensure that the maintenance tasks in the MP are carried out. The quality of the maintenance is not your responsibility. (Except, of course, by only employing properly certified people/organisations.)

OTOH, replacement of “internal and external bulbs, filaments, reflectors and lenses” fall under pilot-owner maintenance. So you can add that the MP and then sign off the work yourself.

Snoopy.

Under the current system I had been asked by a customer to certify the bargain landing lights that they had found to avoid the huge costs involved with buying aviation lights.

These lamps had a certificate of conformity so I was happy to do as the customer requested .

The only problem was despite being the same size as the original lights the bargain lights are totally useless as landing lights so I had to puta placard on the panel and note in the logbook saying “ Landing lights to be used for conspicuity only, do not use for landing at night “.

A_and_C wrote:

The only problem was despite being the same size as the original lights the bargain lights are totally useless as landing lights so I had to puta placard on the panel and note in the logbook saying “ Landing lights to be used for conspicuity only, do not use for landing at night “.

Exactly. The Handxen lights mentioned above by Snoopy are a good example. They are well-made and bright but the beam angle is way too wide. I have one of these.

How many persons are needed to change a light bulb ?

LED may be different. You may have to replace a while lot. The thing is, as the above post shows. Lights aren’t just lights. They have to adhere to certain specs to perform their particular function. If they don’t, then they are something else entirely.

Thanks all for the very informative replies on my comment/question.