Grimes landing light

[james4438c]

Can any one tell me anything about this landing light I bought. It is a Grimes model B-3151. The light portion of the assembly is romovable from the socket section and stowed in the ship until it is needed. I suppose it is mounted on the front spar so that the bottom of the socket is flush with the bottom of the wing. The gentleman I bought it from said it came off a T-craft. but what I would light to know is; were any L-2s equipped with this landing light?
Thanks Rocke Tyler
pics should be attached

[Ron Coleman]

Re: Grimes landing light

Hi Rocke
I have l light just like the one that you have I bought it to install in my 1946 Ace in 1963. It was to be installed on the front spar of the left wing a little less than an arms reach from the window. The idea was to be able to reach out of the window and shove the light into the socket and twist it to lock it in place. It was to serve as a landing light. The first problem was that you could not hold the light against the air stream to insert in the socket. If the light had been installed before the flight began, it was soon discovered that the light was behind the prop and the glare from the prop was so bright that you could not see forward at all. There was a horrible glare on the inside of the windshield that was blinding. And finally, the garden tractor batteries (heavy lead acid unsealed) were heavy, leaky and smelly, only lasted a short time and I didn't have a generator.
All of that said, if done properly, with the light installed far out on the wing, and a good electrical system the light worked quit well. Especially when you considered our fields were out in the boonies where it was pitch black (no bright farm lights), our runway lights were Kiki patio lights (lamp oil) or rescued highway smudge pots.
The light cause a lot of drag when they are far out on the wings.
RonC

[rammon3]

Re: Grimes landing light

My left wing has a socket like that installed, but I do not have the light assembly. If I get a chance, I'll snap a picture of the installation tonight. It's attached to a compression strut if I remember correctly.

[jim cooper]

Re: Grimes landing light

I had one on my Cessna 140 which I owned 10 years ago. It was mounted flush just outboard of the strut. It had been rebuilt by the restorer (it was a trophy 140) and worked GREAT, activated by a toggle switch on the panel. It created little resistance. JC