Here is what I know today.

 

My 320 has the usual GE 5909 100w light in the cowling.  This light is more than adequate to pick up the runway during the approach phase but its' effectiveness disappears during the roundout - when one must peer out of the side since the cowling blocks the view.  To that end, I obtained and installed a halogen projection lamp bracket to the left landing gear leg and utilized a EMC 100 watt halogen projector lamp.  The good part is, of course, the light available on the left forward side of the aircraft and that the same bulb has operated from 1997.  The problem has been that 100w halogens don't seem to come with lens covers.  I have used thin Lexan and note that it quickly becomes distorted and clouded because of the heat.  Marshall has promoted a better 100w bulb (no cover) and Tim Ong has beautiful aimable housings available (although with a 75w covered bulb).  See :

 

 

75w is not enough as a later picture will show.  The 100 watt bulbs need a cover.  I have removed covers from 50w bulbs (they are siliconed in) and yesterday mounted them on 1) my old housing with a nifty retainer and 2) on an actual bulb with silicon.  Well, I don't want to use my old housing and a quick test of the "sealed" bulb failed because I can't create the vacuum or flood my work area with an inert gas.  As the moisture condensed on the reflector, I thought to myself, "Self, this ain't gonna work."  "Not on the ground or at altitude!".  Today I am seeking out a glass place to cut some tempered glass for the Airlite.

 

Marshall's bulb has been accused of being too long for the Airlite housing.  Here is what I have learned. 

 

1) The pins are too long and should be cut to 1/4".  The pin should be held firmly with a needle nose plier when it is cut with a diagonal cutter so that the ceramic/glass seal is not stressed.

 

2) The bulb does not fit into the Airlite housing because Tim has an aluminum recessed socket and Marshall's bulbs have a fatter glass base than a more standard bulb.  I fixed this by using a fine cutting wheel on an air-Dremel to grind away some of the glass.  Perhaps one could also enlarge the Airlite socket a bit - Shannon take note!

 

The following picture is with the EMC bulb (more of a flood than spot) whilst on a snow bordered taxiway and the light on the hangar way off in the distance is from the cowl mounted GE light.

 

 

This foto is for the EMC bulb:

 

 

This foto is with Marshall's bulb:

 

 

 

Note that Marshall's is more spotlight like.  I will not show the 75 watt since it is like the EMC but much less bright to the eye although the camera seemed to compensate somewhat for the lesser light.