EVERETT, Wash., April 21, 2010 — KORRY control products illuminated with LEDs were featured in a recent overview of LED lighting applications in aviation in Avionics magazine.

"Now that light-emitting diode (LED) technology has proven its value for aircraft lighting applications, second-generation LEDs are being introduced in areas once dominated by incandescent lighting," begins the article, which quotes Mickey Jacobson, engineering manager of optics for KORRY products at Esterline Control Systems. Jacobson highlighted challenges facing avionics designers, including control of brightness and the mismatch between consumer electronics product cycles and the 25-year life cycle of the typical aircraft.

"'Old incandescent lamps were the same for 50 years; the one you buy today is the same as one decades ago in terms of light, temperature and current,' said Mickey Jacobson, engineering manager of optics at Esterline Control Systems, based in Everett, Wash. Esterline manufactures lighting products under the KORRY name and is providing the overhead panel section for the Boeing 787.

“'As LEDs get brighter, they tend to obsolete older designs,' Jacobson added. 'Brighter isn’t always better because you could have to go back to the design and change specs. It’s a challenge for the lighting engineer.' . . .

"'The issue with following consumer electronics is obsolescence,'  said Jacobson. 'We have to supply spares for 20 years, so we have to be careful about what we pick. Some suppliers are better than others in maintaining their product line.'"

Read the complete article at www.aviationtoday.com.