Private Aircraft Owners - Winter is Coming!

[Hedley]

Winter is coming, and it's time for private aircraft owners to make a decision: am I going to fly this winter, or not?

Be honest. If you're not going to fly, I might suggest you do the following:

1) Buy a gallon of Shell 2F inhibiting oil. Drain your engine oil. Add the gallon of 2F. Ground run the engine. Drain the gallon of 2F back into the original container.

2) Remove your battery and ELT. Take them home and put them in a quiet corner of your basement. Check the fluid level in the battery - add only distilled water, ensure the plates are covered - and charge it every month so it's healthy in the spring.

3) Make an entry in the journey log that you have done the above. It's all elementary maintenance.

The above isn't as good as a proper pickling, but it's a lot better than nothing, and it's fast and easy for just about everyone to perform. In the spring, add fresh oil, re-install the battery and ELT.

If you are going to fly this winter ....

1) time to change the oil. The less you fly, the more often you need to change the oil. Weird, I know. During the summer, I use Aeroshell 100Wplus which is inexpensive, has the LW16072 for the Lycoming cam lobes, and won't run off the engine like a multi-grade if it sits for a while in the summer, which helps fight internal corrosion. During the winter, I run Aeroshell 15w50 which like a divorce, is expensive but worth it. It's a superb oil for Canadian winters. You can run it year-round if money is no object and you fly frequently.

2) if you live somewhere very cold, and you don't fly very often, consider removing the battery and taking it home with you after you fly. This way, it's warm and charged up for the next flight. The problem with leaving batteries in aircraft during the winter is that if they allowed to sit, they lose their charge and the specific gravity of the acid drops and like water, it can freeze. This is really bad, because when it freezes, it expands, cracks the battery, and acid runs all over the inside of your aircraft. Many private aircraft owners have had this happen to them.

3) You're going to need some kind of pre-heat. You can get various fancy ones that permanently install onto the engine. Or, you can buy a 1000W 120VAC heater at Canadian Tire and put it inside your engine compartment for an hour (assuming you have electrical power). You will need a fancy (eg Kennon) engine cover if it's outside, but if it's inside, all you really need is a sleeping bag with the zipper cut off, on top of the engine while the heater is going.

4) If it's really cold, pre-heat the cabin. Not only for you, but for your gyros. Ask me how I learned this expensive lesson.

Apologies if this is in the wrong group. Not all private aircraft owners read the Maintenance forum!

[hazatude]

Also wear appropriate clothing!

[PAJ]

Thanks Hedley. Good to see something for the private aircraft owners. Mods - I know it's been kicked around before but there really ought to be a private owners section.

PAJ

[mattedfred]

I contacted AvCanada and they agreed to create a Health & Fitness Board. Sadly it hasn't seen much traffic but its there.

[N2]

Good sound advice there Hedley! Think I am going to do just that because I doubt I will fly this winter.

[Expat]

If I was still in Canada, I would park the plane, remove the battery, ...and buy a Ski-Doo, and hit the trails!!!

[Heliian]

Very sound advice hedley but the sad thing is I think it's falling on deaf ears. If you travel to any airport in Canada this winter, you'll see a whole bunch of GA aircraft buried in snowbanks gettin banged around by wind with obviously no care put into them. To get technical, it's not just a once a year treatment to preserve your engine, most manufacturers will recommend preservation after only a short period of inactivity. There are procedures for preservation of just after one week or one month. Weekly usage is the best way to preserve your a/c and to keep water and corrosion out. Fuel tanks should be kept as clean as possible, any moisture will cause corrosion and fungus growth which will eat through tanks and bladders.

Helicopters should definitely be ran and flown once a week if possible. Moisture builds up in the transmission systems and in the bearings and hydraulics. Even if stored inside, turning the blades manually once a week will help keep all the gears lubricated and hopefully corrosion free. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure anyday.

[photocaver]

Hedley posted
"During the winter, I run Aeroshell 15w50 which like a divorce, is expensive but worth it. It's a superb oil for Canadian winters. You can run it year-round if money is no object and you fly frequently."

Buying oil by the case lot, 15W-50 is about $1.00 per litre more expensive than 100W.
That makes it about $30 per year more expensive for me with 3 oil changes for my O-320.

And Yes, I think it is good oil and very necessary for winter flying.

[Hedley]

Yes, 15w50 is a superb winter oil.

However, during the summer, it is not necessarily the best choice for an engine which is flown infrequently, because the multi-grade will run off the engine faster than the straight-grade 100Wplus. This can result in very expensive internal corrosion during the hot and humid summer months. This is especially a problem with Lycoming cam lobes, and even nitrided cylinder barrels. Many infrequently-flown private aircraft engines rust out inside and start making metal, long before they reach flight hour TBO.

That, combined with the extra cost of the 15w50, makes it not quite as good a choice as 100Wplus for infrequently-flown private aircraft.

If you fly your aircraft every day, and don't mind the extra cost, sure, you can run 15w50 year-round.

[. ._]

I did some Googling and found a thread from Avcanada a while back. It has some great photos of a worn Lycoming cam lobe in case some of you have never seen one before.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=38465

[Shiny Side Up]

Very sound advice hedley but the sad thing is I think it's falling on deaf ears.

Indeed. As an alternative I usually make the offer to people, that since I've hanging around the airport all the time, if they leave me their keys, I'll run up their plane every week if they're not going to be using it just to keep the oil moving. I even donate the electricity and time to do so, and if necessary, one of my engine tents or if I think it needs it the Herman Nelson. I would like to take it flying too, but if you just want me to ground run it for a bit its something for me to do in the slower days of winter.

If you're around any GA airport you can probably find someone who will volunteer the same, but as of yet there's been no takers, for some reason most owners think that avgas is more expensive than maintenance.

[iflyforpie]

WRT running 15W50 in the summer, I've found it breaks down in the heat, mimicking a 15W oil on the higher performance engines. Being at cruise power with oil pressure below the green is never good. Adjusting the vernitherm just makes the cold oil pressure too excessive. Lower oil pressures in Lycomings is detrimental to the health of exhaust valves, since they need a large flow of oil to keep the stem cool.


As far as running up in the winter, make sure the engines get up to operating temperature. If they are just started, ran for five minutes, then stopped, none of the moisture and acids in the oil are expelled and you just add more moisture. Flying would be a better option, since you also move the wheel bearings and tires (most wheel bearings I've rejected initially got damaged from sitting too long).

The town pharmacist pays me $100/hr plus flying costs to fly his son's 150 a couple hours over the winter. And he should, the plane is painted the most putrid green I've ever seen..

[Strega]

I'll see if I can dig up the aeroshell tech data sheet for 1550 and straigh 50,,

you will be suprised to see the 1550 actually has less viscosity breakdown in temp and time charts than straight 50..



By far the most important thing to do when starting in the winter is preheat!

(that or oil dillution but thats another topic all together)

[cgzro]

Lifters on my AEIO-360 at about 600hrs. Also the metal that was pulled from the screen at different oil changes leading up to the rebuild. You can almost fit the metal bits into the lifters, especially a couple of larger chunks.

Plane spent much of its early life in Florida and hardly flew for the first 15 years of its life (~300hrs).

The camshaft was not in bad shape but I replaced it anyway, not worth the risk of resplitting the case just to save a few grand.

I typically do the 2F thing, I also use the descicant plugs. The 2F is interesting because it stains things yellow. Takes months to come off the hanger floor.

If I ever buy another plane/engine I want to see the front lifters/cam lobes before I put a penny into it.

Peter

[alctel]

4) If it's really cold, pre-heat the cabin. Not only for you, but for your gyros. Ask me how I learned this expensive lesson.

Please share! I am always eager to learn from others (especially if its a good story!)

[Hedley]

Well ... I'm not sure it's a "good story" - an expensive lesson, as I said.

Many years ago, one chilly February morning, I was preparing to take the Maule up flying. Like any good boy, I had carefully preheated the engine, but I had neglected to pre-heat the cabin and gyros.

It was around -25C, and when I started up the engine, the very expensive attitude indicator made this horrible screeching noise when it wound up, and settled down into a permanent left-wing low attitude. I had it rebuilt, but it was never the same. Finally I bought a new one. So, that lesson cost me a rebuilt gyro, and a new gyro. Maybe there's two lessons in there.

It's possible the gyro was on it's last legs anyways, but you can bet that ever since then, I put a second 1000W Canadian Tire heater in the cabin, forward under the gyros, to warm them up, too.

[alctel]

A 'Good story' is to me one in which no-one got hurt, and a valuable lesson was learned.

Thanks for sharing, I'll remember that tip.

[northern33]

Hedley, great to see some information applicable to us private pilots. Appreciate the advice.

[Posthumane]

I know I'm reviving an older thread, but I thought that it might be better to continue this discussion rather than start a new one on a similar topic.

This is my first winter where I actually have the opportunity to fly my plane (it was down for maintenance for most of the cold months last year), and am starting to see the reality of how much work it is to go flying sometimes. The biggest issue I've come across is ice accumulation on the wings while the plane is sitting outside. There have been a couple of times where I've been able to scrape the ice off to a clean wing and go flying, but other times the ice is too thick to make this practical. There are a few options available to private aircraft owners that I can see, and I'd like to discuss the merits of each.

The first, and probably most obvious, is to rent a hangar. I've been offered a spot in a shared hangar at my home airport for $200/mo, which isn't unreasonable but does add a significant cost to operating the plane. I know people will say "planes are expensive so suck it up" but I'm relatively young still and am spending the majority of my disposable income on the plane already. The more costs that I bundle on top of it, the lower the chance of me being able to sustain this activity in the long term. The advantage of a hanger is that I don't have to deal with ice accumulation on the ground, don't have to dig out a path around the plane to pull it out onto the taxiway (although I'd still have to shovel in front of the doors), have a place out of the wind to do the walkaround, etc.

Another option that I am considering is some heavy duty wing covers. Airplane-covers.com has a set for sale for $625 US (probably closer to $800 CAD after shipping, etc.), so a few months worth of hangar time. The advantage is that it's a one time cost, and I could take them with me when I travel somewhere. The drawback, of course, is that the plane is still outside and still has to be dug out, pre-heated, and the like.

A third option, which I don't care for as much, is de-icing fluid. I think the local FBO has a portable bottle that you can pay for, though I don't know how much it costs and it seems like it wouldn't be worth it if I just want to go for a short pleasure flight.

For preheating I acquired a 35000 BTU/hr forced air heater from princess auto which seems to work fairly well (6" hose stuck under the cowling) and am going to make some cowling plugs from wood or foam. There are probably other difficulties with winter flying with I haven't come upon yet but will discover over time. If anyone else cares to share their solutions to these and other private aircraft woes, please do so!

[oldtimer]

Excellent post, Hedley, with great suggestions.
When I flew Cessna 180's, Beaver's and Norseman years ago, we always took the battery out of the airplane every night and never had battery problems except when they died from old age.
One slight small thing missing is that if you take the battery home and put it in your basement, do not let it sit in bare concrete. The concrete will cause battery problems. Set it on a wooden board instead. And do not forget to turn the ELT off. Having a bunch of Griffons following you home is embarassing. My $0.02 worth

[Louis]

Wing and engine covers will save you a bunch of time. I'm partial to Aero Covers since we've ordered a set at the school I worked at. Plus they're Canadian, so no exchange or duties. http://www.aerocovers.com

[kamikaze]

If you're going to bother, also spray the cylinders with 2F, or other "Fogging oil", and put some dehydrator plugs in. An extra 15 minutes to keep your cylinders in top shape!

The only thing I don't do is plug all the air openings (exhaust, breathers, etc ...) with desiccant and such ... the SL talks about using tape too, and I don't want that tape getting stuck on ... I might get these at some point instead:

http://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/to ... tplugs.php

And yes, heat the cabin! If you have electricity available in your parking spot, just run one constantly keeping the cabin nice and toasty ... helps the electronics, AND it'll be nice and warm and comfy. Good for the battery too if like me your battery is inside the cabin, under the rear seat ...

[CpnCrunch]

A third option, which I don't care for as much, is de-icing fluid. I think the local FBO has a portable bottle that you can pay for, though I don't know how much it costs and it seems like it wouldn't be worth it if I just want to go for a short pleasure flight.

The other option (which is what I did when I owned your plane) is to always clear the snow off the wings after it snows, as that is where most of the ice comes from. If you leave the snow on the wings it will create a thick layer of ice when the sun melts it and refreezes, making it very difficult to clear.

If there is any residual frost the simplest thing to do is to wait until the sun comes out and the temperature is above zero (or close to) and just leave the wings facing the sun for an hour or so and it will normally all melt off.

Do ensure there isn't ANY ice, snow or frost adhering to the wings or other critical surfaces before take off!

[structurespilot]

When preheating with a space heater, I've found these sponges for doing tile grouting (the inexpensive ones) fit the forward two intakes, on the cowl of a C150, just perfectly. Tied a orange flag around them, to remember to remove before flight. Cheap, easy, holds the heat in great!

[Posthumane]

The other option (which is what I did when I owned your plane) is to always clear the snow off the wings after it snows, as that is where most of the ice comes from. If you leave the snow on the wings it will create a thick layer of ice when the sun melts it and refreezes, making it very difficult to clear.

If there is any residual frost the simplest thing to do is to wait until the sun comes out and the temperature is above zero (or close to) and just leave the wings facing the sun for an hour or so and it will normally all melt off.

That's more or less what I've been trying to do up until now, but it has its limitations. Unfortunately I have limited days when I can get out to the airport at a reasonable time, so I am not always able to clear the plane off after a snow dump. I try to get out there when it is warm, but the above zero days often correspond with my work days and can sometimes be several weeks apart. Often what melts during the day has already started to refreeze by the time I'm done work. I would like a little bit more freedom in when I can fly to try to make it just that tiny bit more practical.

If you're going to bother, also spray the cylinders with 2F, or other "Fogging oil", and put some dehydrator plugs in. An extra 15 minutes to keep your cylinders in top shape!

The only thing I don't do is plug all the air openings (exhaust, breathers, etc ...) with desiccant and such ... the SL talks about using tape too, and I don't want that tape getting stuck on ... I might get these at some point instead:

http://www.aircraftspruce.ca/catalog/to ... tplugs.php

And yes, heat the cabin! If you have electricity available in your parking spot, just run one constantly keeping the cabin nice and toasty ... helps the electronics, AND it'll be nice and warm and comfy. Good for the battery too if like me your battery is inside the cabin, under the rear seat ...

Do you do the fogging oil and desiccant plugs even if you're flying regularly? It seems like it would be quite a chore to take the cowl off and change the plugs once a week to go for a flight. Unfortunately there is no electricity where I park so an electric heater is not the best option. I suppose I could drag my plane a couple hundred metres to the club house and run an extension cord from there, but I've had to do that a couple times due to a dead battery and that was PITA. The forced air heater I use still needs power to run the fan, but it only draws about 60w so I run it off an inverter plugged into my car or a booster battery. I haven't used it much yet, and I'm not sure how well it will work in the cabin as it is an "exhaust" type forced air heater with a rather hot exhaust. I wouldn't want to accidentally melt anything.