So, with the recent discussion about winter flying and the need for, pre-heating, dehydrators. I was wondering if there is a better way to keep your airplane in better shape for winter flying. Living in ND, cold weather is always a factor for flying for most of the year.
There are a few challenges that need to be addressed for winter flying:
1. Thick oil- this can be fixed by using a multi-grade, and installing a sump heater.
2. Corrosion – This can be fixed by installing a dehydrator, and ensuring the whole engine is warm enough to prevent moisture from condensing inside the engine. Also getting oil temps high enough to boil out the water.
3. Cold Cylinders – this can be fixed by installing a heater element in each cylinder to help prevent the piston from expanding too fast once the engine is running.
So, most of these problems are avoided by using a plug in sump/cylinder heater. I was wondering if a different approach could work, and possibly provide better results. What if when hangered the plane was hooked up to a “life support system”. One where the oil was circulated out of the plane, heated, maybe even filtered, and pumped back into the plane. Ideally the oil being returned to the plane would enter where it would follow the same oil paths that the oil follows when the engine is running.
Ideally this would:
1. Heat the entire engine evenly.
2. Would help remove any moisture
3. Provide constant oil flow over the internal parts to help fight corrosion.
Challenges:
1. Making sure the correct amount of oil remained in the sump
2. Landing at a non-home airport.
3. Complexity
4. Cost
5. Others?
Please realize that I’m not an expert in aviation engines, or FWF stuff, yet. So it’s very possible that the idea could be a silly one. But I thought I’d throw it out there, and I’d be very curious what some of the challenges would be with doing this?
There are a few challenges that need to be addressed for winter flying:
1. Thick oil- this can be fixed by using a multi-grade, and installing a sump heater.
2. Corrosion – This can be fixed by installing a dehydrator, and ensuring the whole engine is warm enough to prevent moisture from condensing inside the engine. Also getting oil temps high enough to boil out the water.
3. Cold Cylinders – this can be fixed by installing a heater element in each cylinder to help prevent the piston from expanding too fast once the engine is running.
So, most of these problems are avoided by using a plug in sump/cylinder heater. I was wondering if a different approach could work, and possibly provide better results. What if when hangered the plane was hooked up to a “life support system”. One where the oil was circulated out of the plane, heated, maybe even filtered, and pumped back into the plane. Ideally the oil being returned to the plane would enter where it would follow the same oil paths that the oil follows when the engine is running.
Ideally this would:
1. Heat the entire engine evenly.
2. Would help remove any moisture
3. Provide constant oil flow over the internal parts to help fight corrosion.
Challenges:
1. Making sure the correct amount of oil remained in the sump
2. Landing at a non-home airport.
3. Complexity
4. Cost
5. Others?
Please realize that I’m not an expert in aviation engines, or FWF stuff, yet. So it’s very possible that the idea could be a silly one. But I thought I’d throw it out there, and I’d be very curious what some of the challenges would be with doing this?
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