If you suspect the maintenance might be an issue, than maybe a simple circuit with a LED on the instrument panel might be interesting. Circuit can be designed to light up when a bulb is out and can be active even if the lights are not powered on (ie: day time) That might save some cycles on the switch/relays and bulbs, extending their life. total weight should be no more than the weight of a led, a resistor and a transistor.
""I fully expect the lights in the pants to be a maintenance "issue", but it is a checklist item that I am willing to deal with.""
