It is now a balmy 3 degrees here in Wisconsin, and I was thinking about
trying to find the winter fronts and putting on my Baron.

The question that comes up every year is whether to open the cowl flaps for
start, taxi, and take off, knowing the ambient temperature is so low.

It's hard enough to get the oil to the right operating range, and in the
winter the CHT's never go above 350, even with high power settings, so why
cool the engine even further by opening the cowl flaps?

I know some "experts" will say: "follow the POH", but why do this blindly if
the purpose is to get and keep the engine in an optimal operating range,
rather than too cold or too hot?

Any other reasons to keep the cowl flaps open on such cold days?