AeroLEDs Enters the Airshow Business

Boise, ID – AeroLEDs President Nate Calvin has decided to put his products into a dual jet aircraft routine called Red Star and the Dragon. Piloted by Andy Anderson and Jerry Conley, the BAC-167 Strikemaster and Viper 29 are flown in the only two-jet airshow routine east of the Mississippi River. They occasionally fly twilight or night shows with pyrotechnics and that is where the AeroLEDs connection comes in.

Conley, who’s an aeronautical engineer, had to design special housings for the lights which are used to illuminate the smoke trails of the jets. For his own aircraft, the Viper 29 (an L-29 with a more powerful engine), Conley had to convert all the original Russian receptacles and reposition the landing light because of drag. On Anderson’s aircraft, the intense heat of the old incandescent bulbs also raised issues on the ground for his jet which the LEDs ameliorated. With repositioning, the two aircraft now have symmetrical “headlight” beams which are very dramatic against a dark sky.

“The AeroLEDs will reduce heat and drag,” said Calvin, “while providing more intense light in a broader beam than the bulbs they replaced. The LEDs have a much longer life (50,000 hours); can handle greater vibrations and high g loads without issues. They’re ideal for airshow duty.”

With the Blue Angels off the airshow circuit, Red Star and the Dragon have a bright future as a dual jet routine.

For more information on AeroLEDs visit www.AeroLEDs.com and to learn more about the two-jet team visit www.RedStarandDragon.com.


PHOTO CAPTION:    The only two-jet airshow team in the Eastern United States has enhanced their routine with AeroLEDs.