300c cabin heater

[ironranger]

I was wondering how the oil cooler heaters compare with the muffler shroud heaters for cold wx operations. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

[pitot212]

The oil cooler heaters are relatively trouble free and work quite well in the UK. The muffler heater I had was heavy and high maintenance and I didn't think it performed any better. So I took it off and It's now just a pile of junk sitting around the Hangar somewhere!

[Hughes500]

oil cooler heaters are trouble free weigh next to nothing and are very effective. However the biggest problem in really cold weather is the close proxmity th edoors dont have to the frame !!!!.
Used the heaters down to about minus 15 i UK nice and warm inside

[rotornut]

The 300cs I trained on had the muffler shroud heaters. On moderately cold days - down to around -10C - they were adequate. On really cold days - say around -25 - you had to dress pretty warmly.

[pitot212]

if it's training you're doing then just work the student a little harder, that normally heats the cabin up Seriously though, I would be interested in your views too. If in real cold climates the muffler heater is best then I have one just waiting in the hangar!!

[rotorrookie]

Oil cooler heater workes fine on a hot day when the oil is hot.... but wait a min.. then you dont any extra heat because it is a hot day already , and on a cold day it does not work when you need it most.
The muffler heater is great and far better, its buring hot all the time and ready to give some heat right after start, at least alot quicker than the oil thingy
and it can almost keep the pilots blood above zero when flying with one door off.
if I would need to choose between them, I would go for the muffler type on any day.

[ironranger]

Thanks for the replys. I'm looking at buying a 300 for personal use and a lot of them use the oil cooler for heat. I was really impressed with the muffler heater I had on my r22. I try to limit myself to not flying in temperatures below 0 degrees fahrenheit. It sounds like I may need to wear long john underwear, choppers on my hands, pacs on my feet and a mad bomber hat to keep warm.

[rotornut]

if it's training you're doing then just work the student a little harder, that normally heats the cabin up

Like my first auto. Sorry, I've never had any experience with the oil cooler type but it definitely takes a while for the oil to warm up on a cold day.

[birrddog]

I find the oil heater works decent in NY, where it can get pretty cold in the winter. I dress warm for the ramp though not more than jeans and a sweater, occasionally a light jacket.

If you are venturing off base not a bad idea to have warm clothes regardless if you have an unplanned landing!

The other benefit of the oil heater vs. Shroud unit is potential risk of carbon monoxide in the cockpit from a heating unit malfunction.

[rotorfan]

I was really impressed with the muffler heater I had on my r22. I try to limit myself to not flying in temperatures below 0 degrees fahrenheit.

Heh, heh. I was doing PPL training in January. One day the instructor and I went to a low-use airport about 12 minutes away. Temp was 0°F (-18°C) and it was chilly, even though I dressed for it. Doing hover practice, that R22 heater worked great. On the return flight, at cruise airspeed, the heater couldn't begin to compete with the draft around the doors. In those few minutes before time to land, my knees started knocking together, involuntarily. I had heard of this, but had never experienced it, and didn't know it was a real phenomenon. Damn, I was cold. Hard to bring it to a hover and hold heading with the legs jerking around like that. I think that was the only time I've been happy to get out of the helicopter after a flight. Sealing up the air leaks makes any heater more effective.

[rotornut]

Speaking of heaters the standard heater on the 206A where I learned to fly was worse than the heaters in the 300cs. That's why they have these things:
Helicopter Cabin Heater - Heaters - Bleed - Muff

Not cheap!

[500e]

Go for the oil cooler heater, no chance of carbon monoxide poisoning,less maintenance cost.
The the oil cooler unit could be much hotter with insulated cabin feed pipe, the pipe must loose 30% of the heat.
Don't know if there is an engine oil heater for colder climates this would take care of the initial cold start problem & could prolong eng life
Think the heat exchanger exaust is multi thousands of $ range with on going maintenance requirement

[birrddog]

Originally Posted by 500e

Don't know if there is an engine oil heater for colder climates this would take care of the initial cold start problem & could prolong eng life

IIRC the 300C that I occasionally fly has an electric engine heater that gets plugged in overnight in the hangar before bringing it out.