Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?

On 12/29/2018 10:37 AM, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
...
Sunlight/ER keeps feet warm. Insulation to metal pedals keeps feet warm. A
"warm circulator" may help, insulation is first. Wicking away moisture is
second, anything else is a bonus. No, I have no real time in extreme flying
cold, I have dealt with hiking, camping, etc.

Damp sucks. Solar helps.

Yes, may be warm at the airport, sucks to be way up in cloud
shadows.........

Presumably every wave-pilot-wannabe RASident, SSA-member, has read and (ahem!)
absorbed Dr. Dan Johnson's Most Excellent, topically-relevant, article in the
December, 2018, "Soaring" mag? Nine pages of ad-hoc-relevant
research/wisdom...that 100% matches with my personal experiences over the years.

FWIW, the absolute coldest I've ever been in my life was a short (~60 minutes
from T.O. to landing), 100% easy, duskish, wave flight, in December, from a
ground elevation of 5,300' msl to 18k' msl and back, entirely in heavy cloud
shadow. For a westerner at an inland western-site (Boulder, CO), it was
simultaneously: visually enthralling; plain ol' fun; painless in the
'gnarly-conditions' aspect (no nasty ground winds or gnarly turbulence beneath
the wave); above-freezing (when rigging) mild temps on the ground.

How cold was it? I was too busy trying to stop the shivers as I neared pattern
altitude, so I could fly the pattern, to remember! Derigging was no help
'generating heat.' Driving home 18 miles involved intermittent bouts of
shivering. Car heat? Ha ha ha! Two bowls of hot homemade chicken soup barely
helped. I was too cold to bother with pulling a hot bath. Tripling the covers
while trying to stop the post-soup shivers in hopes of going to sleep (as a
means of getting my mind off my cold-soaked woes) eventually did the trick. I
awoke 'somewhat-less-cold' and seriously in need of additional food calories
the next morning...and swore to never be so foolish again. (I'd considered
turning around around 15k' asl on the way up, but didn't as it seemed just
'too soon after establishing a no-brainer wave climb.' Besides, it looked as
though - possibly - I might be able to climb into sunlight while remaining
beneath 18k'. It wasn't. What an idiot!)

And yes, I was wearing long johns top and bottom, had several layers of
clothing ankle to neck, had on cheapie (but effective!) moon boots (de rigeur
gliderpilot garb in the 1980s; still have 'em and they still work). knit cap,
excellent gloves. What got/felt cold was my torso...no extremities chilblains
or anything. I should've begun descending the instant I realized I was
underdressed for the evening's conditions...an option considered and
intentionally delayed.

Dumb, dumb, dumb...

Bob W.

---
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I have done only a few flights above 13K' MSL in the east, never higher than that.
In other parts, 13K' MSL is a decent Soaring day.

So, I am NOT an expert!

Yes, metal rudder pedals can suck heat real fast.
Sunlight can help a lot.
Being damp (rigging, damp day, whatever.....) REALLY sucks heat.

I can only go by many years/miles hiking and likely lower flight altitudes for flying.
I will TOTALLY defer to others that think my "great altitude" is sorta the bottom of their "safe altitude".

Gotta think of where you are vs. where info is coming from.

And nothing beats wool for staying warm.Â* It even keeps you warm when
it's wet.Â* A little tidbit from arctic survival school...

On 12/29/2018 1:38 PM, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
I have done only a few flights above 13K' MSL in the east, never higher than that.
In other parts, 13K' MSL is a decent Soaring day.

So, I am NOT an expert!

Yes, metal rudder pedals can suck heat real fast.
Sunlight can help a lot.
Being damp (rigging, damp day, whatever.....) REALLY sucks heat.

I can only go by many years/miles hiking and likely lower flight altitudes for flying.
I will TOTALLY defer to others that think my "great altitude" is sorta the bottom of their "safe altitude".

Gotta think of where you are vs. where info is coming from.

--
Dan, 5J

Dan Marotta wrote on 12/29/2018 2:53 PM:
And nothing beats wool for staying warm.* It even keeps you warm when it's wet.* A
little tidbit from arctic survival school...

Since my down or polyester jacket or snow suit won't be getting wet during a wave
flight, I've gone that route. Don't have anything with wool in it, and thermal
underwear, "street clothes", and an down or polyester snowsuit keep me warm. It
helps a lot that I've fixed all the canopy and vent leaks, and that I usually stop
at 0 deg F on the climb.

--
Eric Greenwell -

I have a Gerbing heated suit for motorcycle riding when I lived in
Upstate NY but it's too bulky and a big power hog so it wouldn't work in
the glider.Â* I could use the socks, however, but the boot warmers that I
originally posted are probably better for a still air environment.

On 12/29/2018 7:00 PM, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Dan Marotta wrote on 12/29/2018 2:53 PM:
And nothing beats wool for staying warm. It even keeps you warm when
it's wet.Â* A little tidbit from arctic survival school...

Since my down or polyester jacket or snow suit won't be getting wet
during a wave flight, I've gone that route. Don't have anything with
wool in it, and thermal underwear, "street clothes", and an down or
polyester snowsuit keep me warm. It helps a lot that I've fixed all
the canopy and vent leaks, and that I usually stop at 0 deg F on the
climb.


--
Dan, 5J

On Saturday, December 29, 2018 at 2:53:38 PM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
And nothing beats wool for staying warm.Â* It even keeps you warm when
it's wet.Â* A little tidbit from arctic survival school...

On 12/29/2018 1:38 PM, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
I have done only a few flights above 13K' MSL in the east, never higher than that.
In other parts, 13K' MSL is a decent Soaring day.

So, I am NOT an expert!

Yes, metal rudder pedals can suck heat real fast.
Sunlight can help a lot.
Being damp (rigging, damp day, whatever.....) REALLY sucks heat.

I can only go by many years/miles hiking and likely lower flight altitudes for flying.
I will TOTALLY defer to others that think my "great altitude" is sorta the bottom of their "safe altitude".

Gotta think of where you are vs. where info is coming from.

--
Dan, 5J

Actually Dan, while wool is a great material for fabric, in technical uses it has been replaced by new technical fibers and will not absorb any water. I basically flying sailing clothes. Including wave flights in by leather sailing boots.

Maybe things have changed (I don't doubt that newer fibers may be as
good as wool), but we were taught that leather was a terrible
insulator.Â* Maybe there's something inside your leather sailing boots
which insulates?

On 12/30/2018 9:01 PM, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
On Saturday, December 29, 2018 at 2:53:38 PM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
And nothing beats wool for staying warm.Â* It even keeps you warm when
it's wet.Â* A little tidbit from arctic survival school...

On 12/29/2018 1:38 PM, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
I have done only a few flights above 13K' MSL in the east, never higher than that.
In other parts, 13K' MSL is a decent Soaring day.

So, I am NOT an expert!

Yes, metal rudder pedals can suck heat real fast.
Sunlight can help a lot.
Being damp (rigging, damp day, whatever.....) REALLY sucks heat.

I can only go by many years/miles hiking and likely lower flight altitudes for flying.
I will TOTALLY defer to others that think my "great altitude" is sorta the bottom of their "safe altitude".

Gotta think of where you are vs. where info is coming from.
--
Dan, 5J
Actually Dan, while wool is a great material for fabric, in technical uses it has been replaced by new technical fibers and will not absorb any water. I basically flying sailing clothes. Including wave flights in by leather sailing boots.

--
Dan, 5J

On Monday, December 31, 2018 at 8:34:54 AM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
Maybe things have changed (I don't doubt that newer fibers may be as
good as wool), but we were taught that leather was a terrible
insulator.Â* Maybe there's something inside your leather sailing boots
which insulates?

On 12/30/2018 9:01 PM, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
On Saturday, December 29, 2018 at 2:53:38 PM UTC-8, Dan Marotta wrote:
And nothing beats wool for staying warm.Â* It even keeps you warm when
it's wet.Â* A little tidbit from arctic survival school...

On 12/29/2018 1:38 PM, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
I have done only a few flights above 13K' MSL in the east, never higher than that.
In other parts, 13K' MSL is a decent Soaring day.

So, I am NOT an expert!

Yes, metal rudder pedals can suck heat real fast.
Sunlight can help a lot.
Being damp (rigging, damp day, whatever.....) REALLY sucks heat.

I can only go by many years/miles hiking and likely lower flight altitudes for flying.
I will TOTALLY defer to others that think my "great altitude" is sorta the bottom of their "safe altitude".

Gotta think of where you are vs. where info is coming from.
--
Dan, 5J
Actually Dan, while wool is a great material for fabric, in technical uses it has been replaced by new technical fibers and will not absorb any water. I basically flying sailing clothes. Including wave flights in by leather sailing boots.

--
Dan, 5J

I know, leather seems terrible but hey, Yeti and cows do just fine. Link below, but I have put wet feet and socks in these boots and came off my watch with dry feet, winter. https://www.dubarry.us/ultima-leather-sailing-boots
These boots are from Ireland, two things they know are drinking and staying dry/warm.