STEAM POWER FOR CESSNA 170

[GAHorn]

DeQueen, AR (DEQ) has 100LL for $4.05, and Mt. Pleasant (OSA) has it for $4.38, but Mineola (3F9) (northeast texas) has it for 3.89.

Folks, make certain that you update the fuel prices you KNOW about with airnav.com to help your fellow aviators.

[blueldr]

When I was in the U S Air Force, (They retired me in 1964) the predominant jet fuel was JP4. This fuel was decidedly different than the previously used JP3. It was my understanding that JP3 was a Kerosene fuel equivalent to Jet A. JP4 was technically a wide cut gasoline, used because they could extract more of it from a gollon of crude oil than they could a kerosene. It had slightly fewer BTUs per pound and was slightly fewer pounds per gallon. It also was condidered more dangerous due to a much lower flash point and we were highly restricted on refueling aircraft when there was any thunderstorm activity anywhere in the vicinity. In those days the Air Force was the primary user of jet fuel since the air lines were still flying mostly reciprocating engines powered by av gas.

[4stripes]

Steam power would be great up here in the "great white North"! Finally a 170 with a cabin heater that works! An on board Cappuccino maker would be an easy mod too.

[MoonlightVFR]

An aircraft cabin heated with steam would be nice maybe even too civilized.

I have heard that sev ideas about routing heat into the leading edge of wings in attempt to provide a deice mode were patented, prototyped , never placed into production. Many inventors have a passion for an idea and become very frustrated when industry does not embrace the same.

I know you are not serious about cappchinno or maybe not. Would you like a Beverage Cart too?

regards

[blueldr]

MoonlightVFR,

Be advised that your suggestion of steam heat on the airplane is not as far fetched as it may sound. Strangely enough, some transport airplanes, such as Dizzy Threes (DC-3s), had steam heating for the cabin. It used an Ethylene Glycol heat exchanger in the engine exhaust tail pipe. The hot glycol was piped to radiator coils in the cabin. I have no personal experience with the system because it was never operational on the airplanes I flew. Apparently it was a very cantankerous system and our only airplanes so equipped were some of those that were impressed into military service from the airlines during WWII.
I strongly suspect that the CAA in those days may have been leery of direct exhaust intensifier tube heat exchangers. Great strides have been made since that time in the metalurgy and heat resistance in the stainless alloys that are used today.

[cessna170bdriver]

MoonlightVFR,

Be advised that your suggestion of steam heat on the airplane is not as far fetched as it may sound. Strangely enough, some transport airplanes, such as Dizzy Threes (DC-3s), had steam heating for the cabin. It used an Ethylene Glycol heat exchanger in the engine exhaust tail pipe. The hot glycol was piped to radiator coils in the cabin. I have no personal experience with the system because it was never operational on the airplanes I flew. Apparently it was a very cantankerous system and our only airplanes so equipped were some of those that were impressed into military service from the airlines during WWII.
I strongly suspect that the CAA in those days may have been leery of direct exhaust intensifier tube heat exchangers. Great strides have been made since that time in the metalurgy and heat resistance in the stainless alloys that are used today.

If I remember correctly, Ernie Gann mentioned in Fate is the Hunter that the gauge of a good copilot in the '30's was how well he could operate those old steam heat systems.

Miles

[4-Shipp]

For those of you with more gray hair than I, and that is not a small amount...you may remember the gentleman that would stand up in the audience of the Glenn Campbell Good Time Hour and play the banjo. His name was John Hartford, and if you do not remember him, he is the man who wrote Gentle on My Mind. He recorded an album in 1971 called Aereo-Plain. This was one of the first albums I owned - I was about 14 at the time - and it remains one of the finest bluegrass albums ever recored. It is still my favorite of all and has a place of honour in my Ipod.

The best song he ever wrote is called Steam Powered Aereo Plane. I sang this song on my 16th birthday as I soloed a J-3 and a 152. Yes, I actually belted it out as I motored around the pattern - I did change the words to "...a little yellow aereo plane...".

Here is a link. I hope you take the time to listen and enjoy it as much as I have over the last 30 years.

http://play.rhapsody.com/johnhartford/a ... ounce=true

I've always been tempted to get a vinyl graphic for my cowl that says Steam Powered Aereo Plane - I think I'll take care of that this week.

Bruce