We get a lot of questions regarding the W-415 wingtips and the answers are always a bit complicated, so we thought a nice blog post would be in order.
I'm not exactly an RV historian but the way I understand it, this "Flat Top" wingtip was standard issue on early RV-4s, -6s, and -8s, and the stock W-415 wingtip did not have a lighting cove in the leading edge at all. As demand grew for a cut-in lighting cove to reduce drag (and/or look better), there were a few different kits available that builders used to put the cove in.
If you're doing anything to the wingtip lighting or lens, you will need to know which variety you have on your plane. Fortunately, identifying the variations is simple by asking yourself two questions:
- If I look at this from the top-down, do the two faces of the lighting cove meet at a right angle or an obtuse angle?
- Does it have a circular cutout for a PAR36 light?
The Van's Option - 415RA
For some time Van's put out a fairly simple aluminum work kit that is probably the most common and is presently the most serviceable since the lenses are still being produced.
If you don't already have a lighting cove in your wingtip and you're thinking of adding one, this is DEFINITELY the way to go. Van's no longer makes the kits, but it's a fairly simple thing to fabricate, and the lenses are available (we'll cover more on adding the lighting cove below).
Here's what the 415RA looks like outfitted with a sweet Flyleds navigation/strobe kit. What does the RA stand for? I don't know!
Let's take a look at our two questions from before:
-
If I look at this from the top-down, do the two faces of the lighting cove meet at a right angle or an obtuse angle?
- The faces on the 415RA will meet at a right angle.
-
Does it have a circular cutout for a PAR36 light?
- No... the 415RA is pretty small and definitely doesn't have room for a big landing light.
415FG (the FG stands for FiberGlass)
Other builders used an all-fiberglass kit instead. You should be able to tell that the fiberglass work has been done and that the faces of the cove are made from fiberglass. If you can't tell the difference between fiberglass and aluminum, you probably shouldn't be working on your airplane!
If you have this option, be very careful with the plexiglass/perspex lenses you have... as far as I'm aware, there is no source to get new lenses, and the compound curves of the wingtip will make it almost impossible to make them yourself.
-
If I look at this from the top-down, do the two faces of the lighting cove meet at a right angle or an obtuse angle?
- This wingtip has a fairly obtuse angle between the faces, highlighted by the blue lines in the picture above. The angle between the faces is going to be the easiest identifying marker for the 415 FG.
-
Does it have a circular cutout for a PAR36 light?
- No.
RMD Designs Wingtip
This was a third-party option most easily identified by the large faces of the cove and the round cutout for a PAR36 light. These are a fairly rare bird and the company that was making them sold out to Knots2U... as of writing, these parts and lenses are no longer available. We can hook you up with a Flyleds kit to fit them but you'll be SOL if you crack the lenses.
-
If I look at this from the top-down, do the two faces of the lighting cove meet at a right angle or an obtuse angle?
- The RMD cove faces will be at a right angle to one another, or close to it
-
Does it have a circular cutout for a PAR36 light?
- Yes, indicated by the red arrow in the picture above
New installations
If you're wanting to add a lighting cove to a stock wingtip, virtually the only way to go is to fabricate your own to 415RA specs. Fortunately, we've got some resources to help you out with that.
Have I mentioned that the 415RA is the only design that has lenses available? The FG and RMD Designs versions are too large to fit the lenses we have here, and until we find a set of old thermoforming plugs or make new ones, the others will be without lenses.
Below are links to the original Van's instructions that came with the kit when they were producing it, as well as a metalwork outline that can be used to fabricate your own piece using simple tools.