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.
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Ask the DAR
Mel Asberry - 0
As a builder gets ready for his airworthiness inspection, he wonders if he can hire a DAR who is familiar with his design but lives in another state. And what if your airplane doesn't pass inspection?
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Dean Sigler - 0
One plane, one pilot, 5 tons of garbage: How Jeremy Rowsell plans to crisscross the globe in a Cessna 172 powered by fuel made from recycled plastic. By Dean Sigler.
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Steve Ells - 0
Do kit aircraft owners have to comply with ADs? Steve Ells examines the dos and donts of this tricky question.