Jay Honeck wrote:
In another thread (about cold starting) it was mentioned that Alaskan bush
pilots routinely drain their oil, take it inside, and heat it on the stove
before starting in the morning.
While this guarantees a warm(er) engine, wouldn't this risk damage to the
engine from shock heating (assuming there is such a thing), by suddenly
introducing boiling hot (or nearly so) oil to a cold-soaked engine?

Your engine operates at what temperature?
Think about the operating temperature of the oil. I doubt someone
knowledgeable would heat their oil up to the full operating temperature
and risk breaking down the oil. There is sufficient mass in the engine
to absorb the "warm" oil without damaging the case. I suspect that the
temperature of the oil by the time it has all been added will have
dropped many degrees.