How long do I have to fly so the plane is flown?

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Wingsofglass

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Wingsofglass
I find myself for the first time in years having a plane that needs to be flown because it has been sitting for about 3 weeks. This is tragic on many levels. I'm going to take it up today to exercise the engine (Lyc. IO360) today. I'm time constrained so I'm wondering how long I need to fly it so that whatever needs to get hot or burn off does so?
 
5 hours or so should do it...
 
The standard advice is to get the oil up to temp. An extended climb will get it hotter than a couple trips around the pattern. But then it will cool down as you come back. So I wouldn't feel bad about a couple trips around the pattern. But I ain't no A&P.
 
Wingsofglass said:
I find myself for the first time in years having a plane that needs to be flown because it has been sitting for about 3 weeks. This is tragic on many levels. I'm going to take it up today to exercise the engine (Lyc. IO360) today. I'm time constrained so I'm wondering how long I need to fly it so that whatever needs to get hot or burn off does so?
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Minimum 20 minutes, do your 3 T/O & Landingds for currency and you'll be fine. Better if you fly an hour or more though especially if you aren't flying frequently. This is more for you than the plane, but the plane won't complain. If you don't fly frequently and have an A/P, I suggest you use it no more than one flight in three.
 
I always did 3 touch and goes before changing the oil. I read somewhere that Lycoming or CMI said one hour.
 
You want to reach at least 180F oil temperature. In cool weather(below 50F), you may have a hard time reaching that without an oil cooler damper/shutter/foil tape. At 20F and below with my damper closed, I have a hard time getting there. No LOP operations at really low ambient temps either.
 
I agree with the others on 1hr. Good for the plane, good for her pilot too :wink2:


I have a hard time getting much over 160F in my Stinson. I'd have to beat her like a red headed step child to get up to 180.

Also not a fan of running her over 1200RPM until my CHT is 200F
 
wake up early in the morning, 430 am perhaps. go for an early bird work out in the practice area. Time constraint solved amd plane got real flying. or let a bro fly for gas only.
 
Lycoming says get the oil temp above 160F and then keep it there for at least 30 minutes.
 
I had a winter plate to put over the oil cooler (when OAT were below 60 d F) in the Cherokee.

The Comanche doesn't have trouble warming up, if it does I just turn on the Turbo.
 
Wingsofglass said:
I find myself for the first time in years having a plane that needs to be flown because it has been sitting for about 3 weeks. This is tragic on many levels.
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Is this a joke? I often go a month or two without flying. If we don't have anyplace to go the plane stays in its hangar.
 
JHW said:
Is this a joke? I often go a month or two without flying. If we don't have anyplace to go the plane stays in its hangar.
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...but the engine manufacturers say that the worst thing you can do to their products is to let them sit for protracted periods. You would be money ahead by having someone you trust exercise the airplane if you don't have time to do it yourself.

Bob Gardner
 
bobmrg said:
...but the engine manufacturers say that the worst thing you can do to their products is to let them sit for protracted periods. You would be money ahead by having someone you trust exercise the airplane if you don't have time to do it yourself.

Bob Gardner
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True, but what is the definition of protracted.
 
JHW said:
Is this a joke? I often go a month or two without flying. If we don't have anyplace to go the plane stays in its hangar.
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Not a joke, it's well known that sitting for a month or two has a negative impact your airplane's long term health. Batteries, bearings.. Struts, water condenses and does not get blown out. If you can get that thing flying once a week or so it will be happier.
 
bobmrg said:
...but the engine manufacturers say that the worst thing you can do to their products is to let them sit for protracted periods. You would be money ahead by having someone you trust exercise the airplane if you don't have time to do it yourself.
Bob Gardner
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dell30rb said:
Not a joke, it's well known that sitting for a month or two has a negative impact your airplane's long term health. Batteries, bearings.. Struts, water condenses and does not get blown out. If you can get that thing flying once a week or so it will be happier.
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what sort of math does it take to come up money ahead ?

take my pawnee as an example. It sits in the barn for 11.5 months. In july it comes out of the barn, gets the snot run out of it for 2 weeks, then gets its annual oil change and goes back in the barn. 3500-some hours and 20 some years since overhaul its still as happy as the day I bought it. The thing burns 16gal/hr loafing. How would pumping fuel through it every other week come out money ahead ?
 
How long have you owned it and how many hours have you put on it? Does it get pickled before it sits for 11 months?
 
dell30rb said:
How long have you owned it and how many hours have you put on it? Does it get pickled before it sits for 11 months?
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coming up on 9 years now. I wouldn't call it pickled, I dump some oil in the spark plug holes and spin it a couple times with the upper plugs out. It's a fixed pitch prop so there's not much to worry about aging until the cam goes away. So far valve lift is good. Someday when it finally does start to go I've got a low-time 1800ish hour engine from a scrapped aztec ready to hang when needed. That engine will surely outlast the airframe.
 
RV10flyer said:
You want to reach at least 180F oil temperature. In cool weather(below 50F), you may have a hard time reaching that without an oil cooler damper/shutter/foil tape. At 20F and below with my damper closed, I have a hard time getting there. No LOP operations at really low ambient temps either.
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Always LOP operations if all you're doing is warming the engine up otherwise you'll likely put more corrosive byproduct into the crank case than you'll remove.
 
Henning said:
Always LOP operations if all you're doing is warming the engine up otherwise you'll likely put more corrosive byproduct into the crank case than you'll remove.
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During cruise I always run my IO-540 LOP @ 65% power unless CHT's start dropping under 250F, then I switch to ROP. ROP also helps keep oil temperature up along with my damper closed.
 
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