The International Cessna^® 170 Association

The best thing to do is leave Alaska, fly to Arkansas, like I did last week. And be done with this living like a Polar Bear and preheating engines.
I should have thrown my engine blanket out over Nebraska.
I'm done with it!
Dave

I have used just about every kind of preheater imagined up here in North Pole, AK. and points farther north up to including the arctic coast.
Ihave used catalyic heater, burn white pressure appliance fuel, no longer made, they fit inside the cowl, install the insulated cover, leave the cover slightly open in the front to let moistureout or will have mag problems.
Works to -40 or colder....
Ihave used electric interior car heaters, 850 watt ones, probably the safest to use. I turn the fuel off and drain a bit out of the gascolator before preheating anyway..
Ihave used herman nelson heater, master heater, weed burner, camp stoves, Istill have an old antique plumbers pot that the old bush pilots used int eh 30's and 40's, it will run on any kind of gasoline. Get it going, put it under the eninge on the ground. This take a bit different engine cover, one that draps all the way to the ground. You MUST stay with this heater, lest the wind blow the cover into the flame and you burn up.
The best it to heat over night, engine is warmed evenly inside out..
i knowof a guy who got caught out moose hunting one november, his engine cooled too much(becasue the dummy left his engine cover at home, and so he ended up building a brush fire under the cowl to get it warm enought to start the engine.......
Some day I will drive out of Alaska with a snow shovel tied to my front bumper and when people start asking "what's the shovel for" then I might start looking for a place to camp-[.........!! Mark

I use a little electric heater that has an adjustable thermostat and a timer switch. The heater is about a 5 inch cube fits under the cowl nicely. That for about 4 hour and a good engine cover does fine. When away from power I use a small propane catalytic heater (Coleman sport cat) put this inside the cowl before going to sleep and let it run all night, if it’s really cold and you have a stove you can drain your oil into a metal bucket and preheat that also.

Paul

Engine pre-heating...aw the beuaty of flying in the winter. I have owned N2769A for 12 months and have used both the AC heater with the cylinder bands and oil pan heater when near power and a home-made one similar to a Norther Companion. The AC draws 6KW in about 14 hours and gets it nice and warm with covers. On a trip to Granite Mountain this winter temp around 15 I used the MSR homemade jobber and had the engine heated in 45 minutes or so while we loaded the plane. Stay by this stove as one should with any open flame.

2769A is a 1952 170B w/ 180 and c/s 76" prop. This belonged to the former Gov. Jay Hammond aka "The Bushrat Governor"

Winter flying has it's challenges but the rewards are well worth smooth air and great performance. :D