Beaker Posted June 12 Report Posted June 12 Just bought a 1966 M20E Super 21. Looking for what people use to stay cool during the hot summer months. Any ideas would be appreciated. Quote
Hank Posted June 12 Report Posted June 12 On the ground, I open the storm window and sometimes push the door open a couple of inches. Some people use Kool Scoop, I've seen a thread about different modifications rather than sticking it to the window. In the air, the best cooling is altitude. Quote
varlajo Posted June 12 Report Posted June 12 17 minutes ago, Beaker said: Just bought a 1966 M20E Super 21. Looking for what people use to stay cool during the hot summer months. Any ideas would be appreciated. Vent lever pulled, window open (unless you are in a screaming descent; limitation is 150 mph), roof air scoop open. Frozen water bottles. Not much else you can do.. 1 Quote
Hank Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 55 minutes ago, varlajo said: Not much else you can do.. Fly in the winter? 3 Quote
Ragsf15e Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 1 hour ago, Beaker said: Just bought a 1966 M20E Super 21. Looking for what people use to stay cool during the hot summer months. Any ideas would be appreciated. I have an ice chest cooling unit (“B-cool” maybe?) in my hangar. We used it a lot when we lived in TX. Never since we moved to WA and had kids. It’s a bit of a chore to fill up the ice and some water before departure, but that thing was great on the ground and initial climb. It’s just a modified ice chest with a pump for water that cycles it through a radiator and a fan blowing the cold air into the cabin. If I remember, it plugged into the cigar lighter or had a battery. It’s big (and heavy when full), so we usually had it in the baggage compartment. Do everything possible to depart in the morning and cruise at 7k plus. If you’re hot in cruise, try static cling tint on the rear windows. That helps a lot. it was like this: https://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/9983?var=9986&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19746053410&gbraid=0AAAAAD_uYzKlvTUtlvVyA2CE6oHxNZkBz&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk5PtgZHtjQMVhjatBh0Q1AWhEAQYASABEgK2lfD_BwE Quote
JTR Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 I'm a fan of these: https://jet-shades.com/ We are based in south Texas and frequently in Phoenix. Significant difference in temperature with those shades. Stay away from most car type window reflector heat shields, they reflect the sun ok, but in AZ the heat they reflect can damage/warp the windows. I've owned the chest/radiator set up. It was cold but cumbersome and loud. I've Learned to preflight in the hangar, pull it out and go ASAP. Leaving it on a 100 degree tarmac is brutal. Congrats on the new plane. 2 Quote
IvanP Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 (edited) I found that the easiest way to minimize heat exposure is scheduling flights for departure early morning before it gets hot. Once you climb over 10k it will be reasonably cool during teh flight even in the summer. Had Super 21 for few years and my usual cruise was between 12 and 15k. Once you get back down to the hot ground, quickly secure the aircraft, unpack and head for the pool to relax. This strategy may not be alwys feasible, but it works. Flying at night is also an option if you are up to it. In the abence of A/C, most other solutions are not really offering much of relief. IN fact, even the built-in A/C units are not that great. O course, window shields are a must if you park the plane outside, even for couple of hours. Tehre are few companies offering cusiom made heat shields and it is worth it. Plane covers provide better protection, but tend to be cumbersome to put on and off. Edited June 13 by IvanP Quote
201er Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 2 hours ago, Beaker said: Just bought a 1966 M20E Super 21. Looking for what people use to stay cool during the hot summer months. Altitude 1 Quote
TaildraggerPilot Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 Door and pilot window open on ground at all times. Kool scoop works well on ground. I just installed JetShades in my ‘67 E last week and they make a big difference with solar heating. Quote
Fritz1 Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 B-cool is the best bang for the buck, pack with large ice blocks, fill the gaps with ice cubes, use in hangar to precool airplane running off battery minder, top off ice, pull out airplane and get in, runs for about 1h, cooling power is about 2000 BTU, thus 1/3 of a window unit, really helps during long taxi, real ac is 100x more expensive, I use mine 2x or 3x per year, but then it makes a big difference, the unit weighs about 30 lb loaded, pulls about 10A at 12V, filling in the ice is a hassle, but beats sweating in 100F heat when holding for takeoff Quote
GeeBee Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 Kool scoop works really good. I just picked these up and they are the bomb. Store easily, recharge from the USB ports in the plane. Weigh next to nothing. https://www.costco.com/jisulife-neck-fan-2-pack.product.4000328535.html Quote
Skates97 Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 Put static cling tint on the rear windows, it makes a huge difference. Easy to do yourself and cheap. Keep a few scraps to place on the front windows in cruise or even up on the windshield to cut down on the sun. When not using them just fold them up and put them in the seat pocket. https://intothesky.com/2020/06/02/window-tinting/ You can also make your own window shades out of this stuff. Cut to size they stay in the windows just fine, if it's a hot summer day I'll leave them in the back left window the whole flight as it doesn't affect visibility and in the back right window in cruise. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Reflectix-R-21-50-sq-ft-Unfaced-Reflective-Roll-Insulation-24-in-W-x-25-ft-L/3011904 I also made a homebuilt a/c similar to the B-Cool that @Fritz1 mentioned. We use it in the summer if we're going to AZ. https://intothesky.com/2017/08/20/homemade-a-c/ Quote
Fritz1 Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 like the homemade ac, thought about making one, key to success is to pack in as much ice as you can, pre-cool in hangar, top off ice, 1h run time is plenty for taxi and climb, turn off as soon as the ambient air gets cooler and you might have some left for landing, Quote
1980Mooney Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 20 hours ago, Beaker said: Just bought a 1966 M20E Super 21. Looking for what people use to stay cool during the hot summer months. Any ideas would be appreciated. "hot summer months"....I see that you are near Boise, Idaho. "hot"?....seriously?? I noticed that your 9 day forecast shows that the Low will be 49 F and the High with be 71 F. And I see that your current Relative Humidity is 18% right now with a High that might touch 86. Here near the Gulf Coast the High is in the 90's and the Low generally is about 75 F. Earlier this week the Low was 81 F. Relative Humidity was 99-100% this morning. Even in the 90's F, the relative humidity never gets below 65%. It gets really "fun" when the Tower tells you to hold for release, or if there is a lot of landing traffic. We would KILL for your "hot summer" flying weather. Quote
Hank Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 @1980Mooney, here in Sweet Home at 1030 the temp was 81° with 80% humidity for a "feels like" temperature of 89°. Right now at 1500, the temp is only 89° because it's pretty cloudy with thunderstorms moving around, and humidity is 60% for a "feels like" temp of 98°. Summer is almost here! Just as "hot summer weather" varies around the country, so does "staying cool." I saw an Irish newspaper once with 4" tall headlines for a heatwave that was killing people--converting from Celsius, it was 81° . . . So, @Beaker, take the advice here and use whatever you need until you are comfortable. I departed Indianapolis one hot summer evening, ATIS was calling 96° but my OAT on the runway was 110+; when I leveled off at 9500 msl for my short 1-hour-plus flight (just to stop sweating), it was a nice 59°, roof vent was open, vent below the throttle was open, Vent knob on the panel was fully open and both knee vents were wide open. After about 15 minutes, I was starting to feel pretty good. Descending to land, I got pretty warm again, but had a very short taxi (less than 1/2 mile). And as always, fly safe! P.S.--having lived in both climates, I'll take 100° anyway rather than 0°!! Quote
PeteMc Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 22 hours ago, Beaker said: Just bought a 1966 M20E Super 21. Looking for what people use to stay cool during the hot summer months. Any ideas would be appreciated. Most of the time I just deal with the heat. But when I was taking trips down south or even down to the Cayman Islands, I had a cigarette lighter fan that we plugged in. Just something to get the air moving. When we started pulling out onto the runway we'd pull that out and shut the door, so it was not long until we'd start getting some air from the airspeed. And I have a friend that put in one of those Cool Scoops (I think that's the name) and he's happy with that. But most of the air is hitting the pilot. (Good for him, not so much for everyone else. ) Quote
Kelpro999 Posted June 13 Report Posted June 13 Arcticair cooler system works very well. Use one in a six-300 cabin with no complaints. Haven’t attempted to fit in the Mooney luggage compartment but it does fit on rear seats. A little costly for what it is until you use one. Quote
Fly Boomer Posted June 14 Report Posted June 14 2 hours ago, Kelpro999 said: Arcticair cooler system works very well. Use one in a six-300 cabin with no complaints. Haven’t attempted to fit in the Mooney luggage compartment but it does fit on rear seats. A little costly for what it is until you use one. This may be it https://www.arcticaircooler.com/ 1 Quote
mmcdaniel33 Posted June 14 Report Posted June 14 I use a B Kool at times. But often just a 7" Ryobi fan with 4ah battery strapped into the right seat blowing on me. Quote
Keith20EH Posted June 14 Report Posted June 14 Have you checked your heater box? My E needed a “new” seal on the flapper valve, couldn’t completely stop heat from coming in until it was fixed. 2 Quote
blaine beaven Posted June 15 Report Posted June 15 Are the Jet Shades really worth the $800 and up price tag? Was just looking at the kit online and it looks like it has too many pieces for an older Mooney Quote
Pinecone Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 I have a B-Cool in the hangar, but have not used it. I find that with the door open, I get a nice breeze. Better of there is a passenger and they can hold it open another inch or two. The front edge acts as a scoop. I also stick my hand out to the pilot window. A really CB Kool Scoop. Actually, I have a real one in the hangar, but want to cut off the mount. I don't want it on the window all the time. The best thing is a full power climb with a turbo into the teens. I always need to put some heat on up there. Quote
Fly Boomer Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 7 hours ago, Pinecone said: I always need to put some heat on up there. Quote
dkkim73 Posted June 17 Report Posted June 17 On 6/13/2025 at 10:46 AM, Skates97 said: https://intothesky.com/2020/06/02/window-tinting/ Good write up! 1 Quote
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