View Single Post
  #5  
Old December 26th 18, 04:16 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 463
Default Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?

On Tuesday, December 25, 2018 at 11:53:19 PM UTC-6, wrote:
As we know, flying in wave with the sun shining, much of the cockpit stays reasonably warm, but the feet, down in the shade, get cold. So, as I'm here at home on a cold night with a fan helping distribute the heat from the wood stove to another room, it occurred to me that something like that may be possible in the cockpit? A small fan (using a fraction of the electric power that the typical instrument panel uses), perhaps with a short duct, could move sun-warmed air towards the feet. Has that been tried? Does it help? Would it use more electrical power than electrically heated insoles?

Back when I flew an HP-14 which had a canopy that extended forward over the rudder pedals, my feet were much warmer in cold but sunny weather than they are in my current glider. As long as I was pointed towards the sun, that is - typically pointed into a West wind in the afternoon. As soon as I turned around to the East the cockpit temperature plunged.


Have been flying now for 5 years with these Gerbing insoles and the recommended temp controller, also from Gerbing.
https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/...caAvYwEALw_wcB
I run them on a dedicated 12V LiFePo4 battery. After 2 hours at altitude when the feet get cold I turn the unit on and dial the controller back to a setting that I tested prior to keep my feet toasty but not hot. I know of at least 4 pilots who also use these with no issues.
Herb