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#1
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Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?
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. |
#2
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Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?
On Tuesday, December 25, 2018 at 9:53:19 PM UTC-8, 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. It's not sun warmed air at play. It's sun warmed legs/feet. |
#3
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Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?
I've had electric insoles and they were worthless.Â* I've also used
chemical heaters and they worked somewhat, but it was uncomfortable having something wedged inside my shoe.Â* Now we use insulated booties which fit over sneakers and hold in the body's own heat. I've flown many hours in wave and my feat stayed toasty regardless of the sun or lack thereof.Â* On one trip where it was exceptionally cold, I opened a chemical heater at altitude and stuck it inside my jacket to help keep my core warm. These look quite bulky, but they're soft and fit into my pedal area.Â* It is a Stemme, however so there's a bit of extra room.Â* I have a friend who flies an HpH 304CZ and he wears them every time in the winter months. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 On 12/26/2018 12:01 AM, Darryl Ramm wrote: On Tuesday, December 25, 2018 at 9:53:19 PM UTC-8, 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. It's not sun warmed air at play. It's sun warmed legs/feet. -- Dan, 5J |
#4
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Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?
Oh, and look at the test video included with the ad for the boot
insulators.Â* It's quite impressive!Â* I had not noticed it before. On 12/26/2018 8:19 AM, Dan Marotta wrote: I've had electric insoles and they were worthless.Â* I've also used chemical heaters and they worked somewhat, but it was uncomfortable having something wedged inside my shoe.Â* Now we use insulated booties which fit over sneakers and hold in the body's own heat. I've flown many hours in wave and my feat stayed toasty regardless of the sun or lack thereof.Â* On one trip where it was exceptionally cold, I opened a chemical heater at altitude and stuck it inside my jacket to help keep my core warm. These look quite bulky, but they're soft and fit into my pedal area.Â* It is a Stemme, however so there's a bit of extra room.Â* I have a friend who flies an HpH 304CZ and he wears them every time in the winter months. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 On 12/26/2018 12:01 AM, Darryl Ramm wrote: On Tuesday, December 25, 2018 at 9:53:19 PM UTC-8, 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.Â* 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?Â* 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.Â* Has that been tried?Â* 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.Â* As long as I was pointed towards the sun, that is - typically pointed into a West wind in the afternoon.Â* As soon as I turned around to the East the cockpit temperature plunged. It's not sun warmed air at play. It's sun warmed legs/feet. -- Dan, 5J |
#5
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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 |
#6
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Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?
On Wednesday, December 26, 2018 at 8:16:20 AM UTC-8, wrote:
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 The Gerbing line seems to be the industry standard. They work well. The cheap stuff gets bad reviews. Don't do as one USAF Test Pilot School pilot tried, chemical warmers inside a pressure suit, unless you enjoy burns. Jim |
#7
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Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?
An extra layer of insulation from the knees to the ankles is beneficial
https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Winter...+for+men&psc=1 Wear under your trouser legs to get maximum benefit. When our legs get cold, we feel it first in our feet. |
#8
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Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?
I wouldn’t argue with the suggestions for foot/boot insulation – that’s all good. I would only add a perspective on treating causes vs. symptoms.
I lead winter outings for the Sierra Club and have read a moderate amount about the issues of keeping warm. A key point is that the reason (cause) for hands/feet/ears/etc. getting cold is that our core (chest & central organs) are getting cool, so our body compensates to protect the core by reducing blood flow to the extremities (symptom). We of course don’t want to be so warm at our core as to sweat, but one response to feet being cold is to add a layer to our core, so as to move up within the range of comfortable core temperatures. In other words, you might not *feel* particularly cold in your core, but still be able to be somewhat warmer without sweating. Something to consider. - Frank Allen |
#9
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Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?
Skyboots 4g from www.streckenflug.at are excellent.
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#10
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Recirculate cockpit air to keep feet warm?
The sun and you are about the only sources of natural heat at altitude. Outside air circulating around the feet is especially cold. After eliminating that, then it's conceivable that circulating inside air with the right sun angle might help. But the sun isn't always going to be so cooperating.
For more comfort on a less than nice day, you can be adjusting for +70 on the ground and -30 in the cockpit at altitude. Eventually some heat for the toes is good. With electric heaters under your foot pads, it takes less than a watt per toe and you definitely need to be able to control it. The best socks I've found are these. https://www.thorlo.com/shop/men-mountaineering-socks Those, plus boots, and adjustable layers starting with capilene long johns work for me. |
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