Legal again

[N96290]

Yesterday I cornered a CFI which is also a Aircraft mechenic. He checked over the struts and reinstallation which were given the Aero Fabricators treatment. The rigging done by the method recently discussed on this group is good enough that in the windy conditions it flew better than what could be determined to improve with fine tweaking. I had to do the BFR and now we are both ready for some serious fun. Anyone know any tricks to get any more heat out of the heater, anything would be a help.

[M Towsley]

Re: Legal again

Move farther south.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Legal again

Having lived my early life in Omaha and gone to school in Kansas I can second that! Human beings shouldn't live where the temperature swing can run 140*! I have experienced from 110* down to -30* F in Nebraska and Kansas.

Better idea is move to South East Virginia if you don't want Texas. It snows twice a year and most times it melts off by noon. 105* is the hottest I have seen in 30 years (for a day) and it rarely gets below freezing for long and only down to zero a couple of times in that long. I worked in a 110* hangar all summer, but htt was because it is a metal building. After Nebraska it was easy.

As for getting more heat from your plane, make sure the heat shroud around the exhaust is tight with NO LEAKS. If you A&P/IA will let you put an insulation wrap around it that will help too, but most of the heat loss seems to be from the warm air leaking out of the ends of the heat shroud.

The next thing is seal up all those air leaks around the doors. A LOT of cold air sneaks in the cockpit from poor fitting windows and doors.

Dress warm! Move south!

Hank ;-)

[N96290]

Re: Legal again

Just went up for a while this afternoon but the temp was 53 so it almost qualified as a heat wave. Hmmmm, header wrap would be good to seal up the leaks around the heat box and I know it will never be real powerful but just a little help to fight off the chill. Tube and fabric is not very good below freezing but there are a lot of days even in Nebr that get above freezing if for only a few minutes before the little red line on the thermometer goes back into hiding. I have a milk house heater with an adapter and elbow on the front of it to a piece of clothes dryer aluminum pipe to poke up the bottom cowling outlet. That with a Harbor Freight movers blanket over the cowling will take the cold off the engine in an hour or so and get the piston grease up to a pumpable temp. What do I do away from home, well you have to wolf down that $100 hamburger and get going again faster the colder it is.

[M Towsley]

Re: Legal again

Besides talking to my A&P/IA, which I haven't yet, anyone have ideas on closing those gaps at the front of the muff that would an easy and legal fix? My first Taylorcraft had the best seal of them all, my current one has some small areas missing leaving air gaps allowing the air to cool. Thanks!

[cvavon]

Re: Legal again

Marty buy terrys paperwork for the luscombe exhaust and through the tcraft junk far away and get all kinds of heat and easy to inspect at annual and pick up a little horse power as it is not as restricted

[freightpilot27]

Re: Legal again

Agreed..
Luscombe exhaust is the way to go.

[M Towsley]

Re: Legal again

I can't bring myself to cutting holes in the cowl. I also saw the rather cheap crap available for heat muffs for the Luscombe on a friend's plane. It looked like they used soda can aluminum to build them. Can't remember who the supplier was but they were terrible.

[swoeric]

Re: Legal again

just use the window foam found at lowes...single sided sticky .125 --1 inch...look near caulking aisle or with the window and door stuff

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Legal again

I can't bring myself to cutting holes in the cowl. I also saw the rather cheap crap available for heat muffs for the Luscombe on a friend's plane. It looked like they used soda can aluminum to build them. Can't remember who the supplier was but they were terrible.

The right stack will drop in the factory hole with minor trimming. all you need to do is cut the second hole.

[cvavon]

Re: Legal again

the heat muffs that i got from doug coombs at the luscombe foundation are made of very heavy material and also fit right very ease to inspect at annual have 2in outlets so flow to cabin heat box is increased as tcraft heat box is 1.5 in used a reducer side affect less cabim heat in summer as the exhaust is away from the fire wall and also my cowl was for a lycoming and had the hole blocked off with a doubler 3 in hole saw in the old hole and perfect fit

[cvavon]

Re: Legal again

Here are some pix of what it looks like on my plane.Oh i did use terrys paperwork to make it legal chuck

[Mark Julicher]

Re: Legal again

The feed-through hole in the firewall was 1.25 inches on my plane, but the heat box could easily accommodate a 1.5 inch opening. I opened the fire wall hole to 1.5 inches and that improved things a bit. I was in Illinois at that time. I don't much need heat here in S. Texas.

[cvavon]

Re: Legal again

Read something some were that there were two part numbers for cabin heat controls maybe 1.25 and 1.50 as my heater is 1.5 at fire wall southern and northern

[N96290]

Re: Legal again

I talked to a local AP yesterday and he said he used high temp silacone to seal around heat boxes. If memory serves me right about 700 degrees is all the higher temp that is rated for but he said it will work fine. Has anyone tried that and what kind of results did you get?