LED Flash Light

[XLR8]

I like the Executive Defender from Surefire. It's very similar to other Surefire's except it's got bezeled edges on either side for self-defense. I always bring it to the bathroom when I go, just in case. I've heard a rumor though that you can't bring them through security anymore. I haven't had any problems though.

http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/1132/sesent/00

 

[pedropcola]

Like Siudude said the G2 Surefire is cheap ($30) and extremely bright. I have a couple Surefires and the LED version is nice because it is also very bright, the lamp never burns out, and when the batteries start to die it gets dimmer. Most lithium batteries power curve is extremely flat till it dies, it goes from 100% to nothing, no slow dimming to let you know its time to change batteries. As for the "its just a flashlight" crowd, another nice thing is that unlike your standard C or D cells, lithium cells have a 10 year shelf life with minimal power loss. If you haven't used it in a long time, it will still work, while your maglite (or whatever) probably has already self discharged (that doesn't sound right) months earlier. Pay for a good E2L Surefire and write it off your taxes. (Buy the batteries from Surefire also, much cheaper in the long run)

 

[NTS ALL 4]

Or just upgrade to Captain and you won't have to pre-flight anymore. Make the F/O do it when it's cold/raining/night.

 

[Big Duke Six]

I splurged for a Surefire A2 Aviator also. It's got the 3 LED's surrounding 1 xenon bulb. It's got a 2-stage switch so you can use just the LED's or punch on the Xenon if you need it. On my walkarounds, the xenon bulb is lit for maybe 20 seconds total (using it intermittently on/off as necessary) and my batt's have lasted over a year so far. Still have that extra set waiting patiently in the flightbag for their turn.

You can also lock it off for storage in your flightbag so it won't turn on by itself.

They come in different LED colors too. I got white, which I thought I wouldn't like but it's actually more of a bluish-white. I don't know because I haven't seen any others but it seems like anything other than white may not be bright enough on LED-only.

The mini Streamlite sounds similar, so may be just the ticket.

 

[Hooch]

Streamlight Scorpian

I own four different "tactical" flashlights including the high $$ Surefire Aviator. Dollar for dollar the best is this one

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280001026991&category=16037

I got mine from Bass Pro Shop for around $32. Batteries last 6-8 months easy. Nice rubberized handle. Very bright.

There are several mods you can do to make it even brighter (info on candlepowerforum) but really not required.

Hooch

 

[JettBoii]

I use a Q Beam; very very bright! I have to carry it in a seperate bag though.

 

[Mgmt1Pilot]

I own four different "tactical" flashlights including the high $$ Surefire Aviator. Dollar for dollar the best is this one

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280001026991&category=16037

I got mine from Bass Pro Shop for around $32. Batteries last 6-8 months easy. Nice rubberized handle. Very bright.

There are several mods you can do to make it even brighter (info on candlepowerforum) but really not required.

Hooch

Whatever you guys do,don't pay these prices you are listing...EBay is the only way to go, as said here by Hooch.

 

[B747FR8DAWG]

SureFire

Spend the money and get a SureFire 9P, the best light I've ever owned! The next choice is the 6P , a little smaller.

 

[jbj]

For the best information about flashlight contact Steve at
http://www.beyondbulbs.com .

Steve is not only the owner of the company but a fellow pilot who understands what we are looking for.

 

[WorldOnTime]

Go to Target and look in the flashlight section (sometimes the camping section) and look for the Brinkmann 3 watt LED flashlight. It uses 3 AAA batteries and it is very, very bright. It will illuminate any airplane. You can see the tail of a 747 easily. I never thought a "small" flashlight could be so intense on the illumination. Its beam is well focused to keep about 12" of central focus at 75-100 feet, with plenty of light. It is about 6" long and costs about 40 bucks.
On the flip side, if you are really picky about focus, they also make a high intensity LED for MagLites. You can find this at WalMart for about 14 bucks. But I have found the one at Target to be better.

Ditto. I've had a similar setup for over a year and haven't had to replace the batteries. It's tiny compared to my maglite and does 100% better job of lighting the airplane.