Flying:
I posted a thread awhile back with a title something like "Night Launches a fun Full FAA waivered activity"
I've been flying Nite Illumination Tracking Equipment "NITE" systems since 1990. Almost all of them are LEDS of one sort or another, Strobes are ok but are sometimes a little harder to follow than the LEDs.
With help from FAA; We've identified and come up with Night launch regs that keep everyone safe. Basicly the reason FAA does not allow ANY model rocket launch after SUNSET not even dark. (NO our 1 lb exemption does not apply between Sunset and Sunraise) is to protect the civil airman flying along minding he's own business. While it's almost imposible for us to actually hit even a low flying aircraft, we sure can scare the heck out of them
as evidenced by the 2 or 3 cases of HPRs "Close Calls" causing all kinds of kinds of havoc near BWI's approach over Kent Island in Maryland. All that said, applying for and receiveing a full FAA waiver for your Night Lanuch activities is pretty easy, but does take some time with the paperwork.
So with waiver in hand, it's what Vehicles with What Tracking system? We've found Cylumes are fine on low altitiude gliders, and other models from Micro-Maxx to B impulse motors (Regardless of Weight or Area). Any model flying on a C motor or up MUST have an illumination system visible at 2000ft with an intensity of at least 2000 mcd or greater. LED's,Strobes, Illumination panels, bulbs and other systems have been sucessfully used.
Some incandescent bulbs should not be used as the forces at ejection and landing have a tendency to break the filiments.
One very important point, the Night Tracking system MUST be visible during the entire flight. putting cylumes on the parachute attachment just do NOT cut it. If for some reason you have a no deploy situaftion the model will come in ballistic invisible in the dark. VERY DANGEROUS!
Clear payload sectons, throu-the-wall installations or exterior mountings are the three most common practices for NITE system equipement. You'll likely hear a lot of static that flying saucers, IFO's and such, Powered by C and up motors should be allowed with cylumes because of their low altitudes.flights.. Don't make this exception. Snitch, UFO's and even the Paper UFOs have been successfully converted for Illuminated night flight with LED's and some of Art Applewhites up to G motor with strobes... Very cool.
I personally tend toward LED's in Strings of 3 to 15, some larger LMR models have as many as 43. All are powered by 3volt battery systems most with lithium button cells, very light weight VERY Long lasting. whiile a few of my Micro-Maxx models fly with a single LED illiminating the entire nose cone.
For some of the Bigger LMR and HPR models "Night Launch" company sells a number of 9v illiminescent flexable panels that can be wrapped around the model a very interesting effect.
Heres a Pic page of my old Estes UFO converted for Night flights.
