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Summerizing the Mooney


gsxrpilot

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As I landed back in Austin (84R) after the trip to Oshkosh, the OAT read 103.  This means we are in the heat of the summer and the Mooney will not likely get flown again until September when it's time for the annual pilgrimage to KGGG.

 

Winterization is a common topic for engines that sit through the cold months. But here in TX we don't have that problem, we have the opposite problem.  So are there any tips for "summerizing" the Mooney? It's just too hot to fly.

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I built an ice chest A/C. It does a pretty good job of cooling, but what i like the best is it keeps air moving around the cabin.

I've also got a 2 1/2" flexible hose that I can hook to the a/c in my truck and blow cooler air into the cabin. I hate getting stupid hot before getting off the ground.

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Austin ain't got no humidity . . . Come visit us in Alabama . . . We've not hit 100° on the thermometer yet, but have had Heat Indexes of 105-110° for the last sixteen days.

All I do for summer is fly as early as I can, and try. It to leave her parked outside in the sun for a long time before I get back in. Taxi with the door and storm windows open, all vents and hood scoop open, and climb for cooler air. Oh, and dodge the afternoon buildups . . .

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Definitely get an ice chest cooler.  Heck, I even saw one at Sam's last week and couldn't believe.  My B-Kool still looks better, though.  It helps tremendously with hot weather ops.

 

Other tips... preflight and fuel in the hangar/shade to minimize the heat soak.  You might use some of those new-ish cooling towels that you wet and wring.  I use one when working in the hangar and it helps.

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I flew from Marietta to perry last weekend. 10lbs of ice completely melted. The cooler made a huge difference with the 105 heat index, but I think it met its match that day. I kept it running for the whole hour because they kept me low through the the bravo.

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Thanks for all the advice.  I've got an IceBox system but it's 45 minutes from the house to the hanger. I lose probably 10% just on the trip to the hanger.  The good news is it's in the hanger, not outside. But there is no power to the hanger, so no air-conditioning, fans, etc in the hanger.

 

A quick story... last year I was home alone for the 4th of July and my birthday which is the same weekend.  I was pretty excited that when left to my own devices... all I really want to do is FLY. I'd owned the airplane for about 3 months and thought to myself,

 

"I own an airplane! I will spend the weekend flying as much as I like."  I went to the airport and started pre-flighting the plane. It was nearly 100 degrees. After getting it all ready to go, I was soaked through. And I thought to myself... "I OWN this airplane, which means I don't have to fly in this heat, I can fly anytime." I pushed it back in the hanger and went home to sit in the air-conditioning and watch flying videos on YouTube.

 

Since then I've put 160 hours on the plane, so I'm not complaining. But flying in August just isn't much fun around here.

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I stopped by 84R today and I think I saw your plane.

 

Once I get above about 5k it feels fine. Is the issue just being on the ground?

 

If you need one of the ice chest coolers you can always pick up a bag of ice from the local gas station before pulling in to the airport.

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I stopped by 84R today and I think I saw your plane.

 

Once I get above about 5k it feels fine. Is the issue just being on the ground?

 

If you need one of the ice chest coolers you can always pick up a bag of ice from the local gas station before pulling in to the airport.

 

If you were at 84R today, I hope you didn't see my plane. It should be locked up in it's own hangar ;-)

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Thanks for all the advice.  I've got an IceBox system but it's 45 minutes from the house to the hanger. I lose probably 10% just on the trip to the hanger.  The good news is it's in the hanger, not outside. But there is no power to the hanger, so no air-conditioning, fans, etc in the hanger.

 

 

Lately I have been leaving the icebox cooler in the plane in case I just wanted to show up and go I can get a bunch of cubed ice from the FBO, which will last about an hour. If I'm planning to fly more I load up a smaller cooler with blocks of ice from my freezer to take to the airport. They basically fill the entire smaller cooler and after 45min there's barely a drop of water in the bottom. The key is to not add the water until you're ready to use it. The ice blocks last a lot longer that way.

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Lately I have been leaving the icebox cooler in the plane in case I just wanted to show up and go I can get a bunch of cubed ice from the FBO, which will last about an hour. If I'm planning to fly more I load up a smaller cooler with blocks of ice from my freezer to take to the airport. They basically fill the entire smaller cooler and after 45min there's barely a drop of water in the bottom. The key is to not add the water until you're ready to use it. The ice blocks last a lot longer that way.

I used to do something similar. I had a smaller zipper cooler to carry ice packs to the hangar.

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As I landed back in Austin (84R) after the trip to Oshkosh, the OAT read 103.  This means we are in the heat of the summer and the Mooney will not likely get flown again until September when it's time for the annual pilgrimage to KGGG.

 

Winterization is a common topic for engines that sit through the cold months. But here in TX we don't have that problem, we have the opposite problem.  So are there any tips for "summerizing" the Mooney? It's just too hot to fly.

 

Yeah based in Houston.  Bringing a small cooler and drinking 1-2 bottles of water when I fly up to Waco or down to the Valley helps.  I also wear Nike dry-fit shirts.  Anything cotton is completely drenched by take-off.  And carry a couple gym towels to wipe off your head/headset/seat.

 

Other than that, fly early/late, keep the cowl flaps open, and get as high as possible.

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I live in Florida. During the peak of the summer I tend to fly earlier in the day and cruise higher. Between 7-10k feet the temperature is always nice all day long.

 

I don't know when you find time.  Summer looks like an endless thunderstorm across most of Florida.   :D

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I have a fridge with freezer at the hangar and a bekool air conditioner in the plane. I keep blue fake ice packs and block ice in the freezer at the hangar. I bring a home made bag of freezer ice from home. The combo of all three ices works well.

I also have a portable ac unit at the hangar which I can point into the cabin while working on it. I can also stand in front of it to cool off.

Well worth it.

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