Open cockpit in late fall

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Montgomery County PA
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Adam Zucker
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So last spring the FlyBQ POA group was good enough to present me with a certificate for a flight in a local Stearman. I decided to wait till fall because I thought it would be beautiful to fly up the Delaware river and see the foliage and enjoy the cool clear air.

Due to an issue I won't get into here I won't be equipped to take the flight until the weekend after Thanksgiving. Sigh. Anyway I've never been in an open cockpit plane and am now concerend that the weekend after Thanksgiving may be too cold and I may not see anything but bare trees on the ground. I don't want to freeze my ass off so much I don't enjoy the flight. I have no idea what the temps will be but I'm concerned enough to think about putting it off till the spring or next fall.

Your thoughts???
 
AdamZ said:
So last spring the FlyBQ POA group was good enough to present me with a certificate for a flight in a local Stearman. I decided to wait till fall because I thought it would be beautiful to fly up the Delaware river and see the foliage and enjoy the cool clear air.

Due to an issue I won't get into here I won't be equipped to take the flight until the weekend after Thanksgiving. Sigh. Anyway I've never been in an open cockpit plane and am now concerend that the weekend after Thanksgiving may be too cold and I may not see anything but bare trees on the ground. I don't want to freeze my ass off so much I don't enjoy the flight. I have no idea what the temps will be but I'm concerned enough to think about putting it off till the spring or next fall.

Your thoughts???
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The aft cockpit of the Starduster Too I used to have was pretty chilly if the OAT was below freezing but otherwise OK as long as you wore lots of warm clothing. I had a pretty good heater that dumped hot air onto the feet of the person in the front cockpit and if you covered the front (without a passenger) there was some warm air in the back. But with the front cover off there was nothing but cold air (and lots of it) in back. Even the front was chilly when it was below freezing except for your toes. IIRC the heater output temp was high enough to melt the soles of your tennis shoes so I doubt the Stearman will have a better heater.
 
gismo said:
The aft cockpit of the Starduster Too I used to have was pretty chilly if the OAT was below freezing but otherwise OK as long as you wore lots of warm clothing. I had a pretty good heater that dumped hot air onto the feet of the person in the front cockpit and if you covered the front (without a passenger) there was some warm air in the back. But with the front cover off there was nothing but cold air (and lots of it) in back. Even the front was chilly when it was below freezing except for your toes. IIRC the heater output temp was high enough to melt the soles of your tennis shoes so I doubt the Stearman will have a better heater.
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I don't anticipate that the temp on the ground will be below freezing.
 
Can't speak for the Stearman, but the Waco I went up in had no wind in the front cockpit. It was quite luxurious.

Enjoy!
 
If you have motorcycle cold weather touring gear you may be able to withstand the cold at altitude. If not, wait until next Spring or Summer. No point in doing such a special thing if you are going to be miserable.
 
Wear your ski gear. You'll be fine.
 
We did a Waco ride around Thanksgiving in Sedona. I do remember it being chilly, but the scenery was a great distraction!

If it's too cold, save it for Spring and go see the dogwoods in bloom!
 
I fly an open-cockpit plane year-round, though Seattle doesn't get as grim in the winter as most of the northern US. I have flown in ground temps as low as 15 F. I won't say I was *warm*, but I will say that the discomfort was minor. I flew for my usual 45 minutes.

Basic thing you'll need is a windproof shell on your torso. That IS where leather jackets come in. However, I will (grudgingly) agree that there may be modern materials similarly impervious to the wind. The coat should have knit cuffs (to keep the wind from shooting up your arm) and wear a sweater below. Gloves are a must, make sure they're long enough that they overlap the cuffs (otherwise your wrists will get cold).

Above that, you'll need a scarf. Well, yes mine ARE silk, but the key factor here is to keep those cold breezes from shooting down your neck. A regular one will be fine. Make sure the coat zips high enough that you still don't have drafts slipping by.

I'm presuming you will be provided with a helmet. Bring a set of goggles along, in case the helmet doesn't include them.

If the weather is below 40 F, I like to wear a spandex balaclava...a ski mask, bought at the local sports store. The spandex is thin enough that the helmet goes over it, yet is amazingly warm. With the goggles down, most of your face should be protected.

ice5.gif


(and no, my nose doesn't get cold)

I've had one Stearman ride, and I do recall that it was an extremely drafty cockpit. Boot-cut jeans will be right to keep the wind from shooting up too much from below, but wear heavy socks and long johns.

The above is mostly what I do when I fly in temps below 40F...above that, I put on my scarf, pull on my coat, slip my gloves on, and fly.

Ron Wanttaja
 
Probably chilly no matter what you do. Dress warm! I say go for it!

Gary
 
JoeSelch said:
Can't speak for the Stearman, but the Waco I went up in had no wind in the front cockpit. It was quite luxurious.

Enjoy!
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I agree. I did a Waco ride in December, granted it was in San Francisco, but I don't think the temperature was much higher than about 50F.
 
ice5.gif




Go now. With this EXACT outfit.


Just one reason why I can fly with the Tiger's cockpit open, it never happens, never. Ever.....


:D
 
i flew a stearman in february in iowa with about 40 degF on the ground. It wasn't too bad since I was busy flying but the guy in the front seat who wasn't doing anything but talking started to get pretty cold.
 
tonycondon said:
i flew a stearman in february in iowa with about 40 degF on the ground. It wasn't too bad since I was busy flying but the guy in the front seat who wasn't doing anything but talking started to get pretty cold.
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My Stearman ride was from the front, and there was a tremendous draft, with the wind coming from around my legs and shooting up through the coaming. It was like there was a scoop by my feet grabbing prop wash and shoving it through the cockpit. My (single seat) Fly Baby has nearly no drafts; it was kind of shocking.

Maybe the pilot in the rear pit was more comfortable, but I was waving my camera around shooting blindly backwards at him. The one decent pix I got, he's hunched forward looking pretty miserable.

Then again, I used to ride snowmobiles in North Dakota....

Ron Wanttaja
 
dmccormack said:
Ever ride a motorcycle in winter?

:D
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It's not that bad until the temperature drops below 0 F.

Hint: It's OK to put your gloves / hands on the cylinder head to warm up at a stop light. It's a bad idea to put them on the exhaust pipe.
 
I would do it, but then again I'm down here in Texas, where's it's VERY pleasant right now.

Ryan
 
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