nyoung
Pre-takeoff checklist
Hi All. I saw a thread on POA a few weeks ago about pre-heating. I live/fly in Chicago, but am fortunate to have a heated hangar, so I do not have to deal with preheat that often.
Yesterday, I flew to OSH to visit the EAA museum (well worth a Sunday afternoon flight if you live in the area). It was 1degF when I landed and got colder as the day progressed. So I thought I would share my preheat experience.
I asked the FBO to put my Cherokee 180 (Lycoming O-360) in a hangar, and they agreed, but ultimately were not able to do so because their tug could not handle the wheelpant on the Cherokee. Kind of odd, but whatever...
We were at the Museum for about 1.5 hrs, so the plane sat outside for maybe 2.0 hrs in the 0degF temps. No cowl cover, plugs, or Tanis. The engine was completely cold to the touch, so I suspect it was completely cold-soaked.
I have started my plane at 15degF without preheat, and it did not care for the experience, so I was certainly not going to attempt 1degF without preheat. Fortunately, the FBO had a 115k BTU heater, and so we fired that up and aimed the flexi-nozzles into the cowling. I babysat the plane because the heater was VERY hot, and I was worried about bubbling the paint or worse melting the fiberglass. It ended not being an issue, and after only 10 minutes of preheat, the engine had definitely warmed a bit and started no problem.
In contrast, I have a RedDragon preheater that runs on a tank of propane (same as a charcoal-less grill). It usually takes about 30 minutes to get the engine warm enough to start.
Anyway, being as we are in the middle of winter, I thought I would share my experience in case it helps anyone.
Yesterday, I flew to OSH to visit the EAA museum (well worth a Sunday afternoon flight if you live in the area). It was 1degF when I landed and got colder as the day progressed. So I thought I would share my preheat experience.
I asked the FBO to put my Cherokee 180 (Lycoming O-360) in a hangar, and they agreed, but ultimately were not able to do so because their tug could not handle the wheelpant on the Cherokee. Kind of odd, but whatever...
We were at the Museum for about 1.5 hrs, so the plane sat outside for maybe 2.0 hrs in the 0degF temps. No cowl cover, plugs, or Tanis. The engine was completely cold to the touch, so I suspect it was completely cold-soaked.
I have started my plane at 15degF without preheat, and it did not care for the experience, so I was certainly not going to attempt 1degF without preheat. Fortunately, the FBO had a 115k BTU heater, and so we fired that up and aimed the flexi-nozzles into the cowling. I babysat the plane because the heater was VERY hot, and I was worried about bubbling the paint or worse melting the fiberglass. It ended not being an issue, and after only 10 minutes of preheat, the engine had definitely warmed a bit and started no problem.
In contrast, I have a RedDragon preheater that runs on a tank of propane (same as a charcoal-less grill). It usually takes about 30 minutes to get the engine warm enough to start.
Anyway, being as we are in the middle of winter, I thought I would share my experience in case it helps anyone.