G STRV-banner%20-%20small

24 – Wing Tips Part 2 – AeroSun VX Lights

When I visited Oshkosh in 2019 I spotted a lovely RV14 with AeroLED Aerosun VX lights in the wingtip. I liked the look and functionality … they also filled up a rather empty nav light recess.

Anyway, I ended up with a set which needed fitting to the wingtips!

IMG_7047

The units are too large to fit in the stock Vans RV14 wingtip nav light recess, so …

IMG_7049

… AeroLED supply custom fibreglass moldings which need to be fitted into the existing wing tips.

IMG_7050

Before mating the moldings to the wing tips I fitted the VX’s … which involved cutting holes and careful sanding etc to ensure a good fit.

IMG_7048

The units are secured with two screws and a pivot which sits in a rubber grommet. These provide a means to fine tune the angle of the lights in the tips.

The AeroLED instructions are good, but the mounting process requires care and iterative sanding to achieve the correct fit.

IMG_7053

Once the position of the pivot is fixed, it is fixed with pop rivets and flox.

IMG_7046

With a deep breath I cut the precious wing tips to allow the VX moldings to be attached.

This involved more iterative sanding!

IMG_7052

The moldings are bonded in place using resin/flox. I drilled four temporary holes so that I could cleco the molding in position whilst the epoxy resin set.

IMG_7043

I was a bit concerned about altering the natural shape of the wing tips, so I attached them to the wing whilst the resin cured.

IMG_7057

Obviously the join needs work with micro-balloons & filler to be hidden.

IMG_7189

The molding joint inside is reinforced with resin/flox/cloth.

IMG_7054

AeroLED give advice on the optimum position to fit their Pulsar NS Nav Lts, relative to the centreline of the VX.

After the filling/profiling work I’m pretty confident the paint finisher will be able to completely hide the AeroLED molding join.

IMG_7180

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *