Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Mary and I went flying this morning, just a quick burger flight to
nearby Muscatine, Iowa, to warm up the oil and keep sharp. The
temperatures have been hovering around zero for the last several days,
so although the engine was nice and toasty (thanks to Tanis oil pan
and cylinder heaters) everything else was completely cold-soaked.

Mary's preflight inspection was thorough, fast, and in the hangar, out
of the wind. All the ice on our taxiway has sublimated away (it sure
hasn't melted!), so pulling Atlas out was much easier, although
everything was completely stiff in the cold. At those temperatures,
nothing moves easily.

Putting on the frozen-solid LightSpeeds was enough to wake me up!
They slowly thawed, up against my head, and softened to the point
where the ANR functioned again, as we taxied out to the active.

Departure was normal "high winter performance climb". Nothing like
cold, thick air to make Atlas into a virtual rocket ship, and Mary
climbed out at an impossibly steep angle, hanging on the prop. We
were at 3000 feet before we left the pattern.

The outside air temperature at 3500 feet was -20 F. Even with the
outstanding Piper heater on full, we didn't get the inside temperature
up to 60 until we were half-way to Muscatine. (It's only a 24 minute
flight...) The sky was a peculiar milky white, but all the reporting
stations were reporting "Clear below 12000 feet" for 100 miles in
every direction. You could see the weather was changing, however, and
snow was predicted to hit later on. (It has been snowing in spits and
spats, as I'm writing this.)

Coming in to land in KMUT, Mary crossed over midfield and entered a
left downwind for Rwy 24. With the wind 190 at 10, gusts to 13, it
was pushing her in a bit, but she expertly carved her way to a perfect
landing on 24.

As she allowed the nose to lower on to the runway, the glareshield
passed through the horizontal -- and kept going down! Apparently the
extreme cold had caused the nose strut seal to fail, and we were
rolling down the runway in an unusual nose-down attitude, the strut
fully collapsed. Nothing alarming, but it sure felt funny.

Plugging Atlas into the handy power cord that every FBO in the Upper
Midwest has deployed at this time of year, the excellent folks at
Carver Aero already had the courtesy van warming up before we even
walked in the door! We usually walk to the nearby "Good Earth"
restaurant, but there was no way were walking today! So, as long as
we had wheels, we drove into town and ate at the outstanding "Button
Factory" -- a terrific restaurant that is inside a fascinating old
button factory. (Muscatine, being right on the Mississippi River, was
once the "button capital of the world", thanks to an easy and ample
supply of clams and clamshells, from which buttons were originally
made.)

After a fantastic meal we shivered our way back to the airport (but
not before topping off the courtesy van). Now my turn to preflight,
the wind had really picked up. The temperatures had cracked the low
teens, now, but the wind still made it feel like a hundred below.

Taxiing out on our deflated nose strut felt funny, but we were soon
rocketing out over the Big River, making a broad circle over what (in
summer) is a national wildlife refuge, packed with birds. Now, it was
nothing but a stark wasteland of interlocking pieces of ice, jammed
together in bizarre and fantastic patterns. It's hard to believe
there is ever a time when making this flight is almost unbearably hot,
but it's true. In July, it would be like sitting in a sauna...

Touching down carefully in a gusty crosswind back in Iowa City, we
taxied slowly back to our hangar. Once tucked safely inside, I put
some down-force on the stabilator while Mary lifted on teh prop, and
we got the nose strut back up a few inches. My A&P mechanic says it
MIGHT be okay, once it warms up, and we add some nitrogen, but will
probably need a new seal. We'll just have to wait and see.

Baby, it's COLD out there!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Some warm air under the panel will make the gyros last a
little longer, those bearings need to have lubrication too.

Flat struts are a real problem with some airplanes due to
cold. For example a Bonanza or Baron uses the inflated
strut to keep the wheel positioned in the well. A flat
strut can allow the wheel to move into a position which can
cause it to jam in the wheel well while it is up.



"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...
| Mary and I went flying this morning, just a quick burger
flight to
| nearby Muscatine, Iowa, to warm up the oil and keep sharp.
The
| temperatures have been hovering around zero for the last
several days,
| so although the engine was nice and toasty (thanks to
Tanis oil pan
| and cylinder heaters) everything else was completely
cold-soaked.
|
| Mary's preflight inspection was thorough, fast, and in the
hangar, out
| of the wind. All the ice on our taxiway has sublimated
away (it sure
| hasn't melted!), so pulling Atlas out was much easier,
although
| everything was completely stiff in the cold. At those
temperatures,
| nothing moves easily.
|
| Putting on the frozen-solid LightSpeeds was enough to wake
me up!
| They slowly thawed, up against my head, and softened to
the point
| where the ANR functioned again, as we taxied out to the
active.
|
| Departure was normal "high winter performance climb".
Nothing like
| cold, thick air to make Atlas into a virtual rocket ship,
and Mary
| climbed out at an impossibly steep angle, hanging on the
prop. We
| were at 3000 feet before we left the pattern.
|
| The outside air temperature at 3500 feet was -20 F. Even
with the
| outstanding Piper heater on full, we didn't get the inside
temperature
| up to 60 until we were half-way to Muscatine. (It's only
a 24 minute
| flight...) The sky was a peculiar milky white, but all
the reporting
| stations were reporting "Clear below 12000 feet" for 100
miles in
| every direction. You could see the weather was changing,
however, and
| snow was predicted to hit later on. (It has been snowing
in spits and
| spats, as I'm writing this.)
|
| Coming in to land in KMUT, Mary crossed over midfield and
entered a
| left downwind for Rwy 24. With the wind 190 at 10, gusts
to 13, it
| was pushing her in a bit, but she expertly carved her way
to a perfect
| landing on 24.
|
| As she allowed the nose to lower on to the runway, the
glareshield
| passed through the horizontal -- and kept going down!
Apparently the
| extreme cold had caused the nose strut seal to fail, and
we were
| rolling down the runway in an unusual nose-down attitude,
the strut
| fully collapsed. Nothing alarming, but it sure felt
funny.
|
| Plugging Atlas into the handy power cord that every FBO in
the Upper
| Midwest has deployed at this time of year, the excellent
folks at
| Carver Aero already had the courtesy van warming up before
we even
| walked in the door! We usually walk to the nearby "Good
Earth"
| restaurant, but there was no way were walking today! So,
as long as
| we had wheels, we drove into town and ate at the
outstanding "Button
| Factory" -- a terrific restaurant that is inside a
fascinating old
| button factory. (Muscatine, being right on the
Mississippi River, was
| once the "button capital of the world", thanks to an easy
and ample
| supply of clams and clamshells, from which buttons were
originally
| made.)
|
| After a fantastic meal we shivered our way back to the
airport (but
| not before topping off the courtesy van). Now my turn to
preflight,
| the wind had really picked up. The temperatures had
cracked the low
| teens, now, but the wind still made it feel like a hundred
below.
|
| Taxiing out on our deflated nose strut felt funny, but we
were soon
| rocketing out over the Big River, making a broad circle
over what (in
| summer) is a national wildlife refuge, packed with birds.
Now, it was
| nothing but a stark wasteland of interlocking pieces of
ice, jammed
| together in bizarre and fantastic patterns. It's hard to
believe
| there is ever a time when making this flight is almost
unbearably hot,
| but it's true. In July, it would be like sitting in a
sauna...
|
| Touching down carefully in a gusty crosswind back in Iowa
City, we
| taxied slowly back to our hangar. Once tucked safely
inside, I put
| some down-force on the stabilator while Mary lifted on teh
prop, and
| we got the nose strut back up a few inches. My A&P
mechanic says it
| MIGHT be okay, once it warms up, and we add some nitrogen,
but will
| probably need a new seal. We'll just have to wait and
see.
|
| Baby, it's COLD out there!
| --
| Jay Honeck
| Iowa City, IA
| Pathfinder N56993
| www.AlexisParkInn.com
| "Your Aviation Destination"
|

On 31 Jan 2007 15:38:55 -0800, Jay Honeck wrote:

Baby, it's COLD out there!

Gosh Jay,

I was just putting some Aloe Vera on my sunburn when I read your post.
Sounds bad up there.

:-)

--
Dallas

Red Green (from Possum Lodge up north) and I recommend duct tape over the
exterior of the cabin air vents in winter. I think there is an STC for
this.

I've had lots of nose struts go bad in winter, requiring seals and nitrogen.
Some bottom out and others have excessive unrestrained free travel. It's
good to do soft field landings when it is cold (below 10F).

You know it's been a cold winter when water drips out of the high wings in
the spring from the frozen vapor condensed from the pilot's breath. KD


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...
Mary and I went flying this morning, just a quick burger flight to
nearby Muscatine, Iowa, to warm up the oil and keep sharp. The
temperatures have been hovering around zero for the last several days,
so although the engine was nice and toasty (thanks to Tanis oil pan
and cylinder heaters) everything else was completely cold-soaked.

Mary's preflight inspection was thorough, fast, and in the hangar, out
of the wind. All the ice on our taxiway has sublimated away (it sure
hasn't melted!), so pulling Atlas out was much easier, although
everything was completely stiff in the cold. At those temperatures,
nothing moves easily.

Putting on the frozen-solid LightSpeeds was enough to wake me up!
They slowly thawed, up against my head, and softened to the point
where the ANR functioned again, as we taxied out to the active.

Departure was normal "high winter performance climb". Nothing like
cold, thick air to make Atlas into a virtual rocket ship, and Mary
climbed out at an impossibly steep angle, hanging on the prop. We
were at 3000 feet before we left the pattern.

The outside air temperature at 3500 feet was -20 F. Even with the
outstanding Piper heater on full, we didn't get the inside temperature
up to 60 until we were half-way to Muscatine. (It's only a 24 minute
flight...) The sky was a peculiar milky white, but all the reporting
stations were reporting "Clear below 12000 feet" for 100 miles in
every direction. You could see the weather was changing, however, and
snow was predicted to hit later on. (It has been snowing in spits and
spats, as I'm writing this.)

Coming in to land in KMUT, Mary crossed over midfield and entered a
left downwind for Rwy 24. With the wind 190 at 10, gusts to 13, it
was pushing her in a bit, but she expertly carved her way to a perfect
landing on 24.

As she allowed the nose to lower on to the runway, the glareshield
passed through the horizontal -- and kept going down! Apparently the
extreme cold had caused the nose strut seal to fail, and we were
rolling down the runway in an unusual nose-down attitude, the strut
fully collapsed. Nothing alarming, but it sure felt funny.

Plugging Atlas into the handy power cord that every FBO in the Upper
Midwest has deployed at this time of year, the excellent folks at
Carver Aero already had the courtesy van warming up before we even
walked in the door! We usually walk to the nearby "Good Earth"
restaurant, but there was no way were walking today! So, as long as
we had wheels, we drove into town and ate at the outstanding "Button
Factory" -- a terrific restaurant that is inside a fascinating old
button factory. (Muscatine, being right on the Mississippi River, was
once the "button capital of the world", thanks to an easy and ample
supply of clams and clamshells, from which buttons were originally
made.)

After a fantastic meal we shivered our way back to the airport (but
not before topping off the courtesy van). Now my turn to preflight,
the wind had really picked up. The temperatures had cracked the low
teens, now, but the wind still made it feel like a hundred below.

Taxiing out on our deflated nose strut felt funny, but we were soon
rocketing out over the Big River, making a broad circle over what (in
summer) is a national wildlife refuge, packed with birds. Now, it was
nothing but a stark wasteland of interlocking pieces of ice, jammed
together in bizarre and fantastic patterns. It's hard to believe
there is ever a time when making this flight is almost unbearably hot,
but it's true. In July, it would be like sitting in a sauna...

Touching down carefully in a gusty crosswind back in Iowa City, we
taxied slowly back to our hangar. Once tucked safely inside, I put
some down-force on the stabilator while Mary lifted on teh prop, and
we got the nose strut back up a few inches. My A&P mechanic says it
MIGHT be okay, once it warms up, and we add some nitrogen, but will
probably need a new seal. We'll just have to wait and see.

Baby, it's COLD out there!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

It's supposed to get colder yet this weekend! Just remember to bring your
cell phone, survival kit, epirb, etc. A night out in this weather would get
pretty uncomfortable.

I was planning on doing some backyard camping outside with my 10 year old
son this Saturday, but even with good gear it would be mighty cold. The
latest forecast is for subzero temps with a pretty good wind chill.

Being out on the ramp pushing a plane around isn't much fun under these
conditions, either!

We keep our Cessna 172 engine compartment/oil sump toasty warm with a 75
watt light bult and an arctic insulated nose cover. The oil drips off
the dipstick even below 0F. A small ceramic heater in the cabin during
pre-flight warms up the gyros and (very importantly) the windscreen, to
keep it from fogging up during our taxi to the runway. When I started
it at +2F a couple of weeks ago, I did need to use a couple extra shots
of prime to get enough gas to atomize. Oil pressure came up quickly.

The down side: during my descent into out destination, the cabin heat
diminished substantially. Brrrrr.

Al
1964 Skyhawk
SFF-Spokane, WA

On 31 Jan 2007 15:38:55 -0800, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:


Departure was normal "high winter performance climb". Nothing like
cold, thick air to make Atlas into a virtual rocket ship,

I went flying tonight. 15G20 directly down the runway, an OAT of
10degF, and 1/3rd tanks makes for fun takeoff / climb performance.
Takeoff before the displaced threshold ends, and pattern altitude by
the end of the runway.

One thing that strikes me about the cold weather flying. The
reduction in cabin heater temperatures as I throttle back to rejoin
the pattern. The heater in my Cherokee does great at higher RPMs, but
in the winter, 1700RPM apparently does not generate enough exhaust
heat.

-Nathan

One thing that strikes me about the cold weather flying. The
reduction in cabin heater temperatures as I throttle back to rejoin
the pattern. The heater in my Cherokee does great at higher RPMs, but
in the winter, 1700RPM apparently does not generate enough exhaust
heat.

My Warrior used to do that. Once I "weather-sealed" the plane
(filling/closing all the cold air leaks), that went away.

Of course, I kinda like it a bit cooler when I'm coming in to land.
Especially if it's a nice, gusty crosswind...

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Al" wrote in message
. ..
We keep our Cessna 172 engine compartment/oil sump toasty warm with a 75
watt light bult and an arctic insulated nose cover. The oil drips off the
dipstick even below 0F. A small ceramic heater in the cabin during
pre-flight warms up the gyros and (very importantly) the windscreen, to
keep it from fogging up during our taxi to the runway. When I started it
at +2F a couple of weeks ago, I did need to use a couple extra shots of
prime to get enough gas to atomize. Oil pressure came up quickly.

The down side: during my descent into out destination, the cabin heat
diminished substantially. Brrrrr.

Al
1964 Skyhawk
SFF-Spokane, WA

To keep my airplane's oil flowing freely in the winter, I moved to Houston
:-)

Danny Deger

On Mon, 5 Feb 2007 11:07:45 -0600, "Danny Deger"
wrote:


"Al" wrote in message
...
We keep our Cessna 172 engine compartment/oil sump toasty warm with a 75
watt light bult and an arctic insulated nose cover. The oil drips off the
dipstick even below 0F. A small ceramic heater in the cabin during
pre-flight warms up the gyros and (very importantly) the windscreen, to
keep it from fogging up during our taxi to the runway. When I started it
at +2F a couple of weeks ago, I did need to use a couple extra shots of
prime to get enough gas to atomize. Oil pressure came up quickly.

The down side: during my descent into out destination, the cabin heat
diminished substantially. Brrrrr.

Some years back we were on our way home after visiting Joyce's folks
in Florida. When we left it was shorts and short sleeve shirt
weather. We stopped at Gainesville GA to visit my son for a couple of
days and it was downright chilly, but nothing the cabin heater
couldn't handle with ease.

Leaving Gainesville we angled over to Chattanooga and then North for
home. I'd guess it was about 50 to 75 miles north of Chattanooga that
we flew over the front and the temperature started down. Some where
around Kentucky we put our jackets on. By the time we reached Ohio we
had our wool sweaters on under our jackets and by the time we reached
Michigan the winter coats had been dug out of the luggage and the
gloves were on. It was downright cold in there!

At the next annual my mechanic had to have a flame cone replaced in
one of the resonators. As he had to go that far, along with my
complaint about lack of heat, he pulled the muffler and shroud.
Surprise! We found the jacket only had half the normal number of
threaded rods welded in and they were only on the outside with none on
the inside. So said muffler went in for repair as well.

We ended up eliminating the resonators even though they sound nice and
do quiet the exhaust note a bit, but they are heavy. Their weight
causes the rubber bushings in the exhaust supports to fail about every
year or two depending on how much you fly. But the new muffler? What
a difference. You may freeze your butt off while heading down the
taxiway, but once in the air the cabin is shirt sleeve comfortable
even when it's single digits outside. OTOH it 's still jacket time
when it gets any colder than that.

Al
1964 Skyhawk
SFF-Spokane, WA

To keep my airplane's oil flowing freely in the winter, I moved to Houston
:-)

First sensible fix I've read, other than I think I'd pick some where
other than Houston.:-)) Then again, I can't say much about location
as I live in Michigan.


Danny Deger

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com