Kind of hard to see any nav light or strobe light through this lens! The culprit was the failed strobe bulb, but the real cause was a buildup of oil and exhaust residue inside the assembly. Standard practice on Van’s aircraft is to mount the tail/rear strobe light on the bottom of the rudder, right where all the oil and exhaust residue tend to accumulate. If the assembly is not sealed tightly when mounted, the oil and exhaust residue will find its way into the light assembly, contaminating the strobe tube and causing premature failure. Regular cleaning is a good preventative measure. Be careful not to touch the strobe flash tube with your finger, as that can leave contaminants on the bulb, shortening its life.
In Case You Missed It
Always Attack
As I settle into my new life in Oregon, where I know hardly anyone...
Build Your Skills: Metal, Part 2
How to meld with metal and bash rivets without blood or tears; by Dan Checkoway.
Straight Floats to Amphibs
Don Ledger - 0
Fed up with the restrictions of being able to land on water only, builder Mervin Zinck came up with a design to add retractable gear to his floats. By Don Ledger.