air conditioning- nice, required, or silly?

Anybody have any experience with air conditioning in their plane-Nice
to have? Silly accessory? Don't leave home without it? 80% Summer
flying in Northeast.


Thanks for your opinion.

Andy

wrote:
Anybody have any experience with air conditioning in their plane-Nice
to have? Silly accessory? Don't leave home without it? 80% Summer
flying in Northeast.

How much horsepower are you willing to sacrifice to stay cool on a hot
day when your piston engine is lacking 100% of its rated performance?

On 07/07/07 08:11, john smith wrote:
wrote:
Anybody have any experience with air conditioning in their plane-Nice
to have? Silly accessory? Don't leave home without it? 80% Summer
flying in Northeast.

How much horsepower are you willing to sacrifice to stay cool on a hot
day when your piston engine is lacking 100% of its rated performance?

If you're lacking 100%, doesn't that leave you with none?

In article ,
john smith wrote:

How much horsepower are you willing to sacrifice to stay cool on a hot
day when your piston engine is lacking 100% of its rated performance?

Normally, the AC is off during take-off and landing. So, the loss of horsepower
is usually not an issue.

--
Bob Noel
(goodness, please trim replies!!!)

On Jul 7, 8:11 am, john smith wrote:
wrote:
Anybody have any experience with air conditioning in their plane-Nice
to have? Silly accessory? Don't leave home without it? 80% Summer
flying in Northeast.

How much horsepower are you willing to sacrifice to stay cool on a hot
day when your piston engine is lacking 100% of its rated performance?

The AC is really only used on the ground to cool the plane when its
been sitting in the 110F sun. One airbourne the AC serves not purpose.

-Robert

"Robert M. Gary" writes:


The AC is really only used on the ground to cool the plane when its
been sitting in the 110F sun. One airbourne the AC serves not purpose.


I have this picture in my head. At the end of the taxiway; there's a open
carport type shade struture. You pull under it & a cold-air hose drops
down, just like at a drive-in movie. You open the door and fish it in. A
large PA speaker has the tower freq so you don't even need the avionics
running to know when to restart....



--
A host is a host from coast to
& no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433

On Jul 9, 3:26 pm, "Robert M. Gary" wrote:

The AC is really only used on the ground to cool the plane when its
been sitting in the 110F sun. One airbourne the AC serves not purpose.

-Robert

Not sure where you're at, but around here GA is stuck at or below 3500
due the DFW Class B - and in the summertime we need to be at 8000 or
better to escape the heat.

Mike

I have it and it is fantastic to have. It does weigh 70 pounds in the
Seneca. But it spits snow and makes the ride very very nice. Off for
take off and landing(incase of overshoot), single engine operation and I
think the book said expect a 2% power loss, but I don't notice any
really. I have never really regretted having it. Full fuel I can still
put in 750 pounds. The water drain for it is in out the tail cone and
often people mistake it for a fuel leak on the ramp. I suppose it would
be possible because the janitrol heater is in the tail also. But they
don't know that, they just see a puddle and are a bit alarmed.

I would have it again.

If you don't really need the usefull load, go for it!

John

wrote:
Anybody have any experience with air conditioning in their plane-Nice
to have? Silly accessory? Don't leave home without it? 80% Summer
flying in Northeast.


Thanks for your opinion.

Andy

wrote in message
oups.com...
Anybody have any experience with air conditioning in their plane-Nice
to have?

VERY nice to have, especially if you use your aircraft for business.

Silly accessory? Don't leave home without it? 80% Summer
flying in Northeast.

For the northeast, definitely. 80% of our travel is in the mid-west, from
the Dakota's all the way to central Texas.

Our A/C unit is right at 40 lbs and is certified for operation in all phases
of flight. It puts out 23,000BTU of cooling and with a sun shade, drops the
cabin from over 100F to 75 in about 10 minutes. With Aux power, we can have
it on without the engine running, while we configure the nav systems.

Also, it has climate control, so the cabin is 75F when it's 105 outside, and
it will hold that all the way to altitude where it may be sub-zero.

Get it...enjoy it; you won't regret it.
--
Matt Barrow
Performance Homes, LLC.
Cheyenne, WY

wrote in message
oups.com...
Anybody have any experience with air conditioning in their plane-Nice
to have? Silly accessory? Don't leave home without it? 80% Summer
flying in Northeast.

I had A/C in my Piper Arrow II and loved it. All of my flying buddies ragged
me for being a "pussy" but each of them changed their minds when noting how
nice it is to taxi in comfort after a heat soak in the sun (instead of
holding a door open against the prop blast) or a summer inversion layer
where it's hotter at 4500 feet than on the 90°F ground temps.

I've heard all the arguments, added weight, reduced horsepower, etc but you
have to know your mission, the weight/performance penalties aren't for
everyone.