How cold will you fly?

[Green Bean]

Richard, I noticed your using a blanket, if you would insulate the boot cowl it would be a little warmer. And for the history buffs, it was 1776 when Capt. James Cook made his historic trip down Turnagian, after making the run up Cook Inlet (his name sake) Nice pictures... Did you get the oil leak under control yet??

[cessna170bdriver]

I was at 4100'. Years ago I did climb this plane to 17,500' though. I started climbing at Odessa and got to 17,500' just in time to descend to Lubbock to take my Commercial written exam. My nails were a little blue and I had a headache (made a 93% on the test). The engine was REALLY quiet too, probably because it wasn't making much horsepower or maybe your hearing goes out with lack of oxygen, I don't know. BTW, I was about 25 years old at the time and routinely had "good ideas" like that. Luckily I lived thru them all.

I took mine up to 14,500 once, when I was in my mid to late 30's. I took off from Slidell, LA (elev ~20ft) and was timing the climb every 500 ft. My lung capacity has never tested over 80%, so by the time I got to 14,500 I could see my watch fine, but couldn't interpret it to tell what time it was. Luckily I knew what was happening and started the descent. I was down around 7-8000 before the "buzz" subsided. I've only ventured above 10,000 a few times since then.

I flew thru Tehachapi Pass last September. Those wind turbines could sure ruin your day.

And you didn't stop?! This is definitely a place you don't want to scud run, and there ARE a few airplane parts in them thar hills. About 2 years ago we had a local who should have known better try to make it in here from the Central Valley under a sub-3000 MSL ceiling: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_i ... 0700&key=1

Fortunately, it's CAVU most of the time, and 6000 feet will clear everything except the big rocks.

Miles

[hilltop170]

Green Bean- Continental is trying to ignore the whole thing and I'm letting them proceed without any pressure other than regular calls to let them know I haven't and won't give up until they come up with a fix. I reinstalled the plug like they recommended but I won't fly more than 20 minutes away from an airport. It hasn't leaked again, so far.

The interior is out for radio work and just hasn't been reinstalled. It was warm enough before I took it out, but with it out, there is a steady breeze. The new interior will have some sort of insulation.

[28Charlie]

I know what cowl flaps do, but check this mod.
Chuck

[futr_alaskaflyer]

Last weekend I was able to finally remove the coverings on my oil sump opening and lower cowl.

This winter's record for my coldest flight: -31F OAT.

Won't even need to preheat for this weekend's flights. Well, shucks, it must be spring!

[Kyle]

Over this past winter my boys have commented that their feet get really cold in the back. When we run our hands around the doors it seems as though with the new seals they are tight. We do notice allot of cold air coming from the floor / flap tunnel area.

Does anyone have a good fix to stop air from coming in here. Also I noticed behind the upper area just behind the hatshelf their are large holes in the bulkhead but no insulation, just the headliner material.

Air must just scream through that. Should thier be insulation or something else to reduce the flow over the top of the hat shelf?

Thanks - hope everyone is well

Kyle

[GAHorn]

Kyle, I did not like the open-ness of that hat shelf bulkhead either, so I cut a fresh sheet of 2024 aluminum and used PK screws to attach it to the bulkhead on the aft side up there. (Remove the rear seat and rear baggage lower-wall, and lay on your back looking up. It's not bad.)
I also insulated the new sheet on the backside for noise using foil-backed foam. (Amazing how much hollow-sounding, oil-canning/cable-slapping/etc. can be heard in the backseat while taxying without a headset.)
This has worked very well for me.
As for the tunnel, You may have to use foil or duct tape beneath your carpet to seal those seams. I prefer foil tape for this because it leaves less residue when removed, but either way isn't bad. Alcohol will remove adhesive, and you'll only remove it rarely.
It might be a good idea to explore where all that air is coming from. Lots of it may be from poor lower strut seals and/or belly skins. Another is a lower beacon that isn't sealed. And lots of air can travel from the tailcone area forward (another reason I sealed my hatshelf bulkhead.) All these are sources for potential CO poisioning from exhaust.

[Kyle]

George,

That sounds like a good approach. I have been in their on my back using a piece of plywood layed down to the next frame. Two questions - Did you apply the same insulation to the lower panel behind the baggage area as well? And for the piece of aluminum, did you put any creases in it for stiffness - I know their is a technical term for doing that, I just don't know what it is.

What I'm thinking I need for the floor issue is to fly with another pilot and sit back their myself without carpet and try to find where all the air is coming in from.

Kyle

[GAHorn]

I did not stiffen the sheet. It is not in a high vibration area, is not structural and bears no stress. You could even install it using heavy duty velcro if you prefer, but I didn't want any risk of it falling off onto the control cables so I used PK screws. Be certain to place the screws where they will not protrude thru the upholstery or be a hazard to anyone/anything. The outer areas of the bulkhead are beyond the contact area of any occupants or baggage.
The aft baggage wall was already sound-proofed with similar product. (My airplane was restored by an airframe mfr's employee who I suspect had lots of buddies with access to surplus new materials.)

I also modified my baggage compartment with added sidewalls. I did not like the idea of bulheads, stiffeners, etc. being in direct contact with luggage. So I installed interior walls using sheet aluminum covered with "gross-point" I had dyed to match. This gives a much more finished appearance to the baggage area and also prevents damage to the fuselage/skins/structure from baggage jarring/handing.