Winter in Michigan

A couple days ago I went out to the airport, wrapped up the front end
of the Deb with a two layer blanket, fired up the Tannins Heater and
figured I'd change the oil the next day.

Welll... as things go, that was the day it snowed, and snowed, and
snowed. Fortunately the heavy stuff went South of us, but we still
ended up with close to 5 inches.

I made it out this after noon with a case of oil, a box of matches
(for the big catalytic heater), drain hose, wrenches, etc... All
ready to change the oil.

When I opened the hanger door I was greeted by a pile of snow.
The snow started on the fuselage just behind the read seats and was
over a foot deep at the top of the windshield. The windshield was
completely coated with ice as the heat from the engine compartment had
warmed it just enough to melt some of the snow.

Now, the cowl was well wrapped with two layers of very good
insulation. Still, heat leaks out. There was no snow on the top but
there were icicles at the rear of the cowl and hanging off the lower
parts of the blanket that were over an inch to maybe an inch and a
half thick. There must be about an inch of ice running along the wing
root back a ways.

The heat leaking through that blanket had melted over a foot of snow
which had run down and then froze. Man, but that was one heavy
blanket. I threw it in the back of the 4-Runner, and hung it in the
shop to dry.

Tomorrow I'm going back out with a broom and shovel. (and maybe
another heater too)

BTW, this is after the heater (visible to the back left) had been on
for an hour of so. http://www.rogerhalstead.com/833r_ice.htm

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

Roger