Anyone Used Pulselite on a Helicopter ?
 

Saw this and, of course, anything that improves safety and reduces bird strikes or near misses must be a good thing.

https://www.preciseflight.com/rotorc...te-rotorcraft/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItEzoO9LWo



But does it really work?

I have them on all eight of my fire fighting helicopters. They are in fact a USFS requirement. The work really well. The pulsing is what draws your attention to it.

The practice of leaving your landing light on is a waste of time unless it pulses.

pulse kits are a huge improvement and are a requirement in most Canadian fire fighting operations. strobes on the stabilizers are also required in many cases. these pulse kits coupled with LED landing lights are both a safety enhancement and take care of worries of burnt out bulbs and are a worth while investment...

FLY:
On this side of the pond, 99% of the aircraft flying the GOM have them. Same for most EMS aircraft. In my book it's one of those "cheap" insurance policies.
W1

I'm currently flying a 412 with LED pulse lights. They are a dramatic improvement over regular lighting, and it's amazing how much better you can see the aircraft coming from a long way off. Anecdotally, they seem to help with birds as well, but that's hard for me to prove.

Whether incandescent or LED, pulse lights are a good investment in safety. 2 lights flashing at least a meter apart are best and it is my experienced opinion that alternating rather than simultaneous flashing is best. It is my opinion that the LED lights are not as visible when the viewing angle increases from head on, but that is just my observation and I have no data to support that.

I first installed pulselites on an A109AII some 25 years ago, and made a basic mistake by accepting the 'normal' setting where the lights flashed alternately. Until a mate pointed out that with the lamps so close together there was no apparent flashing or pulsing from more than a kilometre away, as they blended into one light on all the time.

Reprogrammed to pulse together made a big difference, but as already said you need the lights as far apart as possible. And yes, they do attract the attention of bird life as long as they are within the vision of said birds: if they aren't looking your way then they won't see you!

We've had High Intensity Strobe Lights (HISLs) on all military helicopters for years - and yes, they do work well:ok:

>We've had High Intensity Strobe Lights (HISLs) on all military helicopters for years - and yes, they do work well<

The ones on the new Jupiter work very well. Operating out of Sleap with a traffic service on a dull day, you inevitably spot the lights first when Shawbury calls traffic to you.

Are they EASA approved for any types?

Video states "Pulsing Lights Save Lives". How does a pulsing light save lives and where is the evidence it saves lives on a helicopter and not just "easier to see"?

Unless you have a series of near misses or mid air collisions it is difficult to 'prove' that high vis strobes save lives but it doesn't matter - anything that makes the 'see' part of 'see and avoid' better has to be a good thing.

Anyone have a rough idea of price for a B206. Their website says I have to call for a quote.

Yes, I was wondering what the guide cost would be for a light single turbine.

Vaq/FLY:

If I recall correctly, Precision (pulselite mfg) has various pricing levels hence the reason to call. I recently put a system on a small plank wing (250W) and the kit was $400 or so with shipping from aircraft spruce on this side. When checking on prices saw the latest version (500W) at around $2000. However, I seem to remember when we started upgrading the fleet at my former day job, Precision offered great discounts and we bought them by the case.

W1

Thanks for the info. That makes it worth giving them a call.
I'll post the results once I've got them.

kit not installed around 1500 usd for a 407. We have had failures in the solid state circuitry meaning the lights would not pulse but would fail to the steady on position. All of our aircraft in the GOM have them.

Some of the new LED lights have a built in pulse function, so you don't need to install pulse light system now, just buy the new lights.

Which ones?

So 500% uplift & we are not being ripped off :(

aeroleds.com

I have nothing to do with them, we are just slowly converting our fleet to run their landing light. They make them with and without Pulse or Wig wag function, and some lights are certified, some are experimental.

Was quoted this afternoon $6400 for the unit that makes the landing lights flash.
When I asked about adding extra lights on the landing gear the guy told me it would be cheaper to source them from somewhere else.

You don't get the discount on one helicopter!

vaq:
Sucks to be the odd man out on the discount. With pulselites a customer requirement in the GOM I would image precision is capitalizing on that closed market.

But you have an alternative if your aircraft is N reg. You can purchase the same 250W unit ($383) I installed in a fixed wing and obtain your own Field Approval (Form 337) and install it in your helicopter.

Each pulselite kit comes with an STC and install documentation which can be used as approval basis data for Block 3 on the 337. The unit I installed from aircraft spruce had documentation showing install on a Robbie so that helps the cause.

A quick check online found 500W and 1000W kits for sale at $1100/$2000 respectively (links below). Same 337 install method above would apply.

Good luck.
W1


Precise Flight Pulselite? from SkyGeek.com


PRECISE FLIGHT PULSELITE SYSTEM from Aircraft Spruce

I really appreciate the info wrench1. We're on the N reg, so I'll pass this onto our maintenance guru and see what he comes up with.

Thanks again.

vaq

two Aeroleds PAR 36 landing lights with pulse function would do the same job, and you get a better light, brighter white which can be seen better during the day. They are a PMA part so you just need to get the switch to run the wig wag installed and you are good to go.