Doors
lvlflyer,
The 280 door design is not very good, the 28's latching mechanism is much better. You are dealing with 37 year old fiberglass and plastic which has warped over the years and no longer seats properly in the doorframe. The fiberglass holding the latching plates on the door has probably also weakened and is not firmly holding the latches in place. This is a common problem with the older 280s. I have flown two older 280s (1978 and 1980) whose doors never closed properly and would sometime pop open at high speeds, especially on hot days. Pops open like a gunshot and with the turbo exhaust screaming right behind you, it really drops your heart. No fun at all and the expectation is very stressful when it happens intermittently! You will probably have to rebuild the door and strengthen the inner frame and latching mechanism to eliminate the problem. A bandaid fix we've used is to rivet some strong fabric velcro to the doorframe and adhere the sticky hard piece to the inner side panel of the cabin. It is a crude but effective solution. Quirky machines they are but a real pleasure to fly when dialed in.
*edit* Also agree with others that crosswinds should have no effect on your oil temp. Keep digging...
Last edited by CO280fx; 15th Jul 2014 at 03:28.