Phew!

[Hairyplane]

We flew back from Denmark in the Regent yesterday. Even at 4500ft over the Channel the OAT was 29c. Small relief from the 34c right through the Low Countries at 1500ft.

Flying in a westerly direction in that blazing sun was hot hot hot!

The instrument panel was like a radiator - impossible to put your hand on the coaming without burning it.

The temperature behind the panel - despite avionics cooling fan - must have been horrendous.

Fair play to the manufacturers, Garmin, Lycoming et al - all ran faultlessly.

With 5-6 hours flying in a day (havent got around to totting it all up yet) it is impossible to avoid the midday sun but, hey! - it was hot hot hot from 0800 right through to 2100!

My advice if you have a closed cockpit machine in these incredible conditions?

1.Leave it in the hangar and head for the sea.
2. Drink lots of beer.

HP

[Flyin'Dutch']

My advice if you have a closed cockpit machine in these incredible conditions?

Hmm that is OK for those who have the option!

FD

[WelshFlyer]

It depends what type of a/c you fly, when I fly in the c150 my QFI opens both windows and that cools the cockpit considerably.

A while back, I was flying in a robin HR200 and my FI had the canopy rplled back for part of the flight.

Drinking beer sounds like a good idea:) just depends if you want to enjoy you're flying, if you have an a/c that you can "air condition" in the way i suggest.

Makes you envy those who fly Piper J3 Cubs dosen't it?

WelshFlyer.

[Hilico]

Can J3s travel fast enough to get a draught through the cockpit going?

[LowNSlow]

Austers have those dinky sliding windows as featured on the early Mini, Austin Healey Sprite and MG Midget. Loads of fresh air comes in. The seriously overheated can always take the doors off for al fresco aviation at it's best :ok:

[WelshFlyer]

As far as i know, the J3 can go upto about 60kts.

Any J3 cub pilots out there like to enlighten us?

WelshFlyer

[DamienB]

And there's HP telling me to put a jacket on before going up in his Maggie on a day that wasn't much cooler... glad I didn't!!

[Kingy]

Cub bloke here..

My L4 cruises at an honest 63kts with the doors closed. With the doors open two things happen: Firstly, the ASI under reads due to the change in static pressure in the cockpit. Secondly, all that extra drag slows you down anyway.. so we're looking at about 65mph indicated rather that the usual 75 - either way that's fast enough to get a goodly breeze through the open doors. I know cuz I did it yesterday, today and I probably do it tommorrow too!!

Kingy

[witchdoctor]

"Drink lots of beer"

Nah, it heats up too much if you stand it on the instrument panel.

A nice bowl of strawberries though, that's a different matter. Pop the Aerobat's windows open, chug along munching fresh fruit laughing at the poor saps below with 'real' jobs to do.:D :p :ok:

Ah, what a life! :D