"Roger Long" om writes:

We have a 300 watt oil pan heater and the engine starts much better and oil
temperature comes up faster than when we used the FBO's dragon. The size
and weight of a portable generator that would power one of these is similar
to the size and weight of a dragon. Why not buy the generator which would
have all sorts of other uses?

I second the generator idea. Electric heaters are *so* handy. You can
even put some in your cabin to keep your seat and instruments warm. If
you run the generator off of 100LL, you won't have to mess with carrying
(other) tanks of fuel. I'd feel a lot better about leaving a generator
running (for a day trip) than leaving a Dragon running too.

The Red Dragon *without* fuel tank is a little lighter than a generator
(16-22 vs. 29 pounds) but it requires electrical power. In the cold,
I'd much rather leave something running that's charging, not
discharging, my plane's battery. Small generators often have 12VDC
outputs
http://www.mayberrys.com/honda/gener...ls/eu1000i.htm
so if your plane has a 12V system, you're all set.

I've checked with a few FBOs about plugging in my plane on the ramp
when we travel. The answers range from "Sure, no problem" to "Bring
your own extension cord." That means you'd usually be able to avoid
having to deploy the generator.

So...do you want to lug around a tank of LP, mess with connecting a
heater to your engine and battery and then run down your battery, or
would you rather drain a little fuel into a generator, plug it in,
and await a warm cockpit and freshly-charged battery?

--kyler