Jump to content

Staying Warm in a Canard


chuckthedog

Recommended Posts

I have found a way to stay warm in my plane after years of freezing my A$% off. I tried the 12 volt hair dryer. A joke! I will not run hot engine oil up with me. What I have come up with is a pair of socks and Jacket made by Gerbings for Motor Cycle riders. The gloves and pants are not needed, but they got them too. They hook up to your Batt. and have a 10 amp fuse in line to a reostat then you just plug yourself in and stay warm! You can see there stuff at

www.gerbing.com

Living in the northern US and flying high. I know you will like this.

The jacket looks cool, and you can walk with the socks in your shoes.

If the phone don't ring. It's me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aaron, Gerbing says the jacket at full power will draw 77 watts or 6 amps the socks are 22 watts or 2.28 amps. I can tell you you will turn it down a lot after a short time. These guys have been in the business sence WWII B-17s and stuff. These are made for MC. IE small alt. and batt.

I know you won't need this for many years.

Just go to the Gerbins web site.

I can tell you I have used them for the last two winters full time and over 8000 feet almost all the time (jacket only in the summer) and they work!

Everything is all set up just bolt to Batt. posts.

If the phone don't ring. It's me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dust,

A good friend of mine who passed away was from Northville, Novi area and knew about all the pickel fork drivers down in that neck of the woods. I was wondering if you knew him also. His name was Rex Rexin.

He started his Long project in my hanger in 1982 and we built 2 of every thing.In 1990 I through him out of my hanger cause he had built his own. and I started flying my half of the parts.

I don't remember ever seeing those big holes you are talking about. Did I miss a page in the plans?

If the phone don't ring. It's me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jim price has a long (my tech advisor) and the holes for his torque tubes are larger than the tube because of the arc they travel through. I noticed them because he was trying to seal them better when I saw his plane last. He said the offset control part that allowed the hole to be shrunk was a later improvement. He said that hole was a major reason that longs were cold.

 

After that we made a complete two part cover for the landing gear area to stop all air infiltration.

 

Sorry to have never met Rex Rexin.

maker wood dust and shavings - foam and fiberglass dust and one day a cozy will pop out, enjoying the build

 

i can be reached at

 

http://www.canardcommunity.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mike,

Rex knew Jim, and I met him a long time ago.

After you get the holes closed it dose help , but just sitting and not being able to move around you do get cold. No sun light is the worst. I like the Gerbings cause no moving parts, no weight. (unless you fly naked) and no heavy boots to keep your feet warm. I like to fly in my tennies, or bare foot. I'm a Jack Pine savage at hart.

The other thing to remember. even on a hot day when you get around 10k it gets a little cool.

If the phone don't ring. It's me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How hard is it too keep warm in a cozy relative to, say, spam cans.

 

It would seem that fiberglass foam would be much warmer than aluminium, but i have read many reports about how cold it can get.

 

Is the real source of these discussions that cozy's fly higher? Or is it that there are holes (that can be plugged)? Will the standard cabin heat not do at altitude?

 

If this is hijacking a thread then feel free to do as you see fit with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the way I see it.

First if you stay low,south, and in the sun. you should not have a problem.

If you instal the plans type. Hot air off the exhaust muff and get a crack under the heat muff you could gas yourself.

They don't work too good. If you run hot engine oil through a radiator up front and spring a leak in the cabin. You have a mess and an engine that is gonna need oil fast.

It also weighs more. As for the hot water. You will have one more place to spring a leak. It also will have added weight. With the electric jacket and socks. You have no moving parts. You probably are going to take a jacket anyway and most people ware socks. So no added weight. No hot oil or water bath. no bad gas. Now the fan. with hot air,oil,water, you still need to run a fan. the jacket and socks dont need a fan. so no electric moter radiation into the radio.

That is why I use the electric clothes.

One more thing to think about. The cloths cost less than the other systems.

If the phone don't ring. It's me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reminds me of some fun I had driving back from college. my car had a tendency to overheat, so I'm driving through Arizona at 110F all the windows down and the heat turned on high.

 

When the heater core blew, water and glycol coated the inside of my windsheild, while my legs were being scalded. Luckily I was able to put my head out the window so I could continue to see the road.

 

Make sure that heater installation of yours is bulletproof, John. It might just decide to go on you when you're on final, and that could really ruin your day especially if you and char fly naked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It may not be literally bulletproof, but its plumbed with aircraft grade alimunum and AN fittings, and I have a cut off valve within easy reach. I have closable NACA scoops on each side and hot air vents around the front of the canopy.

 

Only concern I have about flying naked is engine failure over a major airport. :)

I can be reached on the "other" forum http://canardaviationforum.dmt.net

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the fan motor yumm in the radio?

What about the weight of the system?

what about the time to design,install,and the CO$T?

is there a replacement guarantee?

What ya gonna wear when you get some place and have to fuel up? A wind breaker and a pair of socks?

Can you buy antifreeze at the FBO?

Is there another set of valves buy the engine, to keep all that hot pipe from messen up the PVC foam under the Hi temp epoxy?

If the phone don't ring. It's me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

>What about the fan motor yumm in the radio?

Doesn't seem to make any difference.

 

>What about the weight of the system?

35lbs inc. the AC compressor and condenser.

 

>what about the time to design,install,and the CO$T?

maybe 6 weeks altogether. Cost - $75 from a breakers yard.

 

>is there a replacement guarantee?

Yep. Costs $75.

 

>What ya gonna wear when you get some place and have to fuel up?

Didn't I mention my air-to-air refueling pod.

 

>Can you buy antifreeze at the FBO?

Nope. How often do you put antifreeze in you're car?

 

>pipe from messen up the PVC foam under the Hi temp epoxy?

The pipes go through the heat duct and are insulated all the way.

 

Hey. Maybe it won't work - maybe it will. Someones gotta make the first air-conditioned Cozy. It might as well be me. Like I read on someones by-line recently - if we knew what we were doing, they wouldnt call it experimental.

I can be reached on the "other" forum http://canardaviationforum.dmt.net

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are right on the money about experimentation. The same reason I chose the electric wind breaker, and socks. It was a case of trial and error. I'm shure Rutans heating system worked great in Mojave. I spent the first 10 years of flying my Experimental using the old flyin rule of thumb. Wear the clothes you will need to stay alive if you have a forced landing in the wild. Before my Long I flew old Tail draggers mostly. For close to 20 years. They also have little or no heat in the creacher cage. Wish they had electrical system in them, and knew then what I know now. I now live in the tropics of Central Indiana. You don't even have to wear a coat all the time as early as the middle of May. through September. I still stuff my Gerbings wind breaker in the strake. Just incase. If you are still readig this John,I have one more piece of trial and error experimentation to pass on. The fan noise in the radio. When I instaled my electric belly board. I found I can hear it extend through my head set. I can hear the strong trim motor in the head set. It dose not run much. no problem. For some reason the EZ Nose Lift dose not do it. I don't know why. It is with this knowledge I assume the heater fan will buzz through the radio. Build hard. Fly hard. Stay hard.

If the phone don't ring. It's me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes I did. Then I tried the 12 volt electric heater. Then tried the clothes for one winter. Then took out the Rutan system and the 12 volt system. when it is real cold up north you get the best flying weather. Calm winds, blue skys, and thick air. I also take those chemical heat pads used for ice fishing. I tape one around the stick to keep my right hand warm. They work for up to 4 hours them you throw them away.

If the phone don't ring. It's me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like advice and i normally take it, chuckthedog, but in this instance, i can't. For 2 reasons, 1 - I will fly up to 25000 or so with the turbo and two, my wife. If i tell her to plug herself in she won't be happy, she has kept me over 33 years and I know the result on not happy.

 

But I am listening. As soon as the planes are lifted I am going to more than double the tube for the heat. I will then increase the size of the heat muff substancially and probably use one of those extra naca scoops i am putting in the turtledeck for direct air preasure.

 

Other considerations will probably include pump up seal for the canopy, more latches, and up front controllable exit air vents for wayne's air out flo comment.

 

So i will increase hot air volume

Increase preasure with no blower (maybe)

Regulate exit air

Increase air temperature

Superseal all else

maker wood dust and shavings - foam and fiberglass dust and one day a cozy will pop out, enjoying the build

 

i can be reached at

 

http://www.canardcommunity.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information