The International Cessna^® 170 Association

OK Guys and Gals. You're in love with your pre-53 Cessna 170 but you hate the lousy cabin heater and don't like the expense and trouble of conversions and gasoline heaters? Here's a solution that is transferable to other vehicles...and may double as good survival gear!

Heated clothing! Plug into your 12-volt cigar lighter. Pretend you're a WW-II bomber-crew with heated flight-suits!

http://cozywinters.com/heated-clothing/

George looks like a great way to stay warm running the Cat Dozer on a cold day. Been a whole lot colder on that than I ever was in the 170. Bill K

Wow! The prices! They're really proud of that stuff, aren't they?!!!

3958v wrote:George looks like a great way to stay warm running the Cat Dozer on a cold day. Been a whole lot colder on that than I ever was in the 170. Bill K

Back in the day when I use to run a dozer I would turn the fan around so it would suck back through the radiator build a shroud on the sides and let that nice warm air come back on me

Toby must have run a dozer.....that's where the saying Toby A## Cold came from

W.

Sure would have like that heated suit last year. That one day it was -16 when I took off, sure glad I had my insulated bibs on . I think that is my limit on how cold a temp I want to fly in.

W.

The really neat part about heated clothing when flying up in the cold country , such as Canada and Alaska, is that in the event of any kind of an off airport or emergency landing out in the weeds, they can be plugged into any convient spruce, fir, or birch tree.

While the price of heated clothing is a little rich for most of us... if you really want to try it follow this guy's lead. http://www.aumih.info/Tips/heated.html

blueldr wrote:The really neat part about heated clothing when flying up in the cold country , such as Canada and Alaska, is that in the event of any kind of an off airport or emergency landing out in the weeds, they can be plugged into any convient spruce, fir, or birch tree.

Or currant-bush.

If you do decide you want to shell out for the plug-in duds, be sure to add up all the amps and verify that your cig lighter circuit is up to the task.

Miles

4583C wrote:While the price of heated clothing is a little rich for most of us... if you really want to try it follow this guy's lead. http://www.aumih.info/Tips/heated.html

The article is interesting but does not use resistance wire and does not mention heating capacity. I don't believe ordinary copper wire (such as that he used in his project) will have any noticeable heating effect.

I think Paul and Deborah Wood have some experience with those heated clothes riding motorcycles in Alaska. If a BMW electric system can handle them I know my 170 could.

hilltop170 wrote:I think Paul and Deborah Wood have some experience with those heated clothes riding motorcycles in Alaska. If a BMW electric system can handle them I know my 170 could.

As long as you know how the old AD on the lighter was complied with. This is just from memory, but I think the original design had an 18awg wire going to the lighter, but a 20A fuse. One of the methods of compliance other than completely disconecting the lighter was to downsize the fuse to match the wire, about 5A if memory serves. Looking at the specs on the website George referenced, the jacket alone draws almost 8 amps. Add a pair of pants and you're over 10.

Miles

Yeah...I think the safest thing to do might be upgrade the supply-side wire to the cigar lighter to 10 gauge and protect it with a 25 Amp C.B. (That would supply ONE complete suit. Adding additional persons w/suits would probably be best handled with additonal cigar lighter installations and an alternator!)

Yeah, but.............I don't think converting my 170A heater to a C-180 style heater cost THAT MUCH! And it works ALL THE TIME whenever I want it with NO power usage and I can fly in comfortable clothes!

hilltop170 wrote:Yeah, but.............I can fly in comfortable clothes!

With the flying-partner YOU have..... you fly CLOTHED????