Rant: The avionics shop I visited in Salt Lake City changed my mind about panel backlighting

Honestly, I used to think old-school incandescent bulbs in cockpits were fine and that LED retrofits were just a waste of money. But last month I stopped by a shop that builds King Air panels for a living, and the owner showed me a side-by-side comparison under direct sunlight. The LED panels stayed readable while the incandescent ones washed out completely. Has anyone else swapped out their instrument lights and noticed a big difference, or is it just for the flashy builds?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary_patel5924d ago

My old Cherokee 140 was the same way, I flew it for years with those dim yellow bulbs that were basically useless past 3pm. Then I helped a buddy swap his Archer's panel over to LEDs and the difference was honestly night and day. We tested it on a bright July afternoon and his airspeed indicator was still crystal clear while mine was just a washed out blur. That sold me on it completely. I ended up doing my whole panel a year later and I'd never go back.

craig.tessa24d ago

Oh man, that's exactly what I went through a couple years back. I swapped my Cessna 172 over and the biggest thing I noticed was how much easier it was to read the altimeter and airspeed on hazy days. The old bulbs would just blend into the glare, but with LEDs I can actually see the needle against the background. Plus they don't burn out as often, so you're not replacing bulbs every annual. Just make sure you get ones that dim properly, some of the cheap LED replacements have really nasty flicker at low settings and that gets annoying fast.