Peter R. writes:

A question for those of you more adept at chemistry/physics than I: How
fast does the aluminum skin of the standard single engine GA aircraft take
to cool to surrounding air temperatures? For example, how long would it
take for the skin to cool from a heated hangar at 65 degrees F to outside
air at 20 degrees F?

Nor more than a couple of minutes. Aluminum is an excellent conductor
of heat.

This is my first winter where my airplane sits at my destination airport
(Buffalo, NY) all week in a heated hangar. The problem I just inherited
is that if I desire to depart during a lake effect snowfall event, falling
snow could melt on the wings and fuselage and then turn to ice.

If the wings are cold enough to freeze water, falling snow won't melt
on them.

I suppose that if snow fell on the wing while it was still above
freezing, it might freeze into ice as the wing cooled, but since the
wing will cool so quickly and since ice is hard to melt, I don't know
that this would be much of a problem.

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