Winter Operations Questions (Tripacer)

[anthonyp]

Winter in Canada is just around the corner here. This will be my first winter with my Tripacer and the girl will be tied down outdoors and exposed to the elements, so I need some help from the vets here on the forum.

In preparation of ice and snow, I have purchased wing covers, horizontal stabilizer covers and engine cowl plugs. I also have a pitot tube cover which is used year round.

What else will I need to survive an outdoor winter?

A few additional questions:

How does de-icing spray impact the fabric? If needed, the FBO will de-ice the plane however I am unsure to what consequences this may have on ceconite.

Block engine heaters? Is it possible to get one? We have an electrical panel near the tie down (which I'm trying to find out is even available for my use.

Cranking the prop through prior to ignition?

Static port? I understand it's on the belly of the plane. If it's gets blocked with ice and snow, what is the remedy?

Any advice on using or not using salt to melt ice around the tie down?

Really looking forward to your knowledge on this.

[Pacer42Z]

I strongly recommend preheating the engine. There are plug in heaters available. I use a kerosene space heater, but I’m in a hangar. Not sure about de-icing fluid. Has your FBO used it on fabric airplanes before? Also get a block off plate for the oil cooler to help keep the oil temperature up.

Juergen
Pacer N3342Z

[anthonyp]

Thanks Juergan. Can you explain a bit more about the block off plate? Also I spoke with the fbo this morning and they said they handspray Isopropyl Alcohol to defrost

[smcnutt]

https://www.shortwingpipers.org/foru...ter-Operations

[Pacer42Z]

Thanks Juergan. Can you explain a bit more about the block off plate? Also I spoke with the fbo this morning and they said they handspray Isopropyl Alcohol to defrost

I used the block off plate when my Pacer had the oil cooler mounted in the chin scoop. I believe I purchased it from Univair (but not sure). It prevents the air from going through the cooler. Test with some Isopropyl Alcohol in some area on you airplane where it’s not so visible and see what it does to the paint.

Juergen
Pacer N3342Z

[smcnutt]

We use duct tape on the chin mounted oil cooler. I like it because it's easily adjusted. We have a white tape so it matches the nose bowl.

[PACERGUY]

You can get a Tanis or Reef https://www.tanisaircraft.com/shop/piston-prehea thttp://www.reiffpreheat.com/product.htm. The work great and only take a hour or two getting the engine up to 60 degrees. That would be my first choice for heat, carry a backup DIY Northern Companion is case you get stuck somewhere without power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-UFG-6NqPE Mine is just the short stack/SCAT tubing and MSR stove that is year round emergency gear so it is very light. Oil temp is pretty easy to control with tape over the cooler. 1 inch of tape is usually a 20 degree temp change. Aluminized tape is better than Duct tape because it does not leave as much glue behind when you pull it off. Unless you have a 4 cylinder EGT/CHT do not block off the cowl openings!!!! Do run Cam Guard and no the additive in Phillips Victory is not Cam Guard. Make sure you carry full set of tie down ropes and all your covers every time you fly. https://www.supercub.org/forum/showt...on-WED-1-12-22 Leaving a plane 100 miles from home for weeks because you got stock overnight and now wings full of ice and can't fly sucks. Always carry hammer and chisel or screwdriver to chip the ice out of recessed tie downs at other airports. Wing covers are great for snow and frost BUT, get them off if you are going to have a big blow or prolonged winds. A loose cover will do a lot of damage in a very short time!! Put them back on once the wind lays down. If you cannot get to your plane every few days to check have someone else or FBO do a drive by. For sweeping the wings get a soft floor broom and cover the handle with that slit pipe insulation foam that will keep you from denting the leading/trailing edge of the wing. If we only get a inch or two of snow followed by freezing rain I leave the snow on it helps keep the rain from freezing to the wing/covers. I have not seen or heard of static port freezing so can't help on that one. NO salt around plane!! You are going to end up with a lot of Ice around the plane/airfield, that is winter flying. Get slip on micro spikes or put studs on your boots for working around plane. Be very careful when taxiing or towing the plane on ice. Last winter the wind pushed 1 ton pickup trucks parked to protect the planes into the plane. So chain up trucks if you have glare ice and are moving around on the runway.
DENNY

[JPerkins]

Keep the prop vertical so the spinner is less apt to fill with snow.
If you don’t have VG’s a piece of rope works well to remove frost. Lay it over the wing, stand under the wing with one end in each hand and saw it back and forth while work down the wing.
I’ve seen a lot of guys stick a 25 watt bulb on a drop light in the engine cowl and button up the engine blanket. It would constantly keep the engine warm so it was ready at anytime. My only concern with that is if there are big temperature swings that having that heat source constant might be a cause for condensation.


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[akflyer]

A GOOD cowl blanket is essential for a quicker preheat. Alaska Wing covers makes AWESOME cowl blankets, prop and spinner covers. That aluminum prop is a big heat sink on the crank. I have an all in one diesel parkingheater with 3" scat hose coming off the front I use to preheat. Runs off 12v battery. The nice thing about these are that they put out nothing but hot dry air, no combustion product goes through the scat tube so putting a tee in the line and running a 2" hose into the cabin works perfect to warm up the inside too. I can go from -20F to 120 on the oil temp in about 2 hrs. The scat hose can also be used to direct the hot air at any ice that may have built up on the fuse that is not covered as well as running it in one of the inspection holes and thawing out the wings in short order.

[Gilbert Pierce]

That’s effective and inexpensive. I wish I had one of these when I was building an airplane in my cold garage.
https://m.vevor.com/diesel-heater-c_...SABEgLG8_D_BwE