Really interesting stuff! I like your flying videos, but I really enjoy the inside look at what it takes to keep the plane working. Seems like a constant balance of functionality, safety, weight, cost, and time. Thanks!
After watching your Goldwing videos I bought a 2007 Honda Goldwing. Now I ride it to my hanger as much as possible. Nothing like riding a Goldwing to the hanger and flying your airplane. Thanks for the very interesting videos!
Hi Scott... from north of the border here... (Canada)..Absolutely enjoy your vids and comments, and your attachment to the bird. Hoping to acquire a Velocity XL... and join the way too much fun, you and the others are having. Was a commercial rotary guy for a looong time and did a bit of private fixed wing, including glider before the heli stuff. Wish every fly guy had the attention to detail you have. Thanks for the stuff dreams are made of.
Thanks Scott. I'm super fortunate to have the Cozy community. I don't have heat in my Cozy and would love to see your continued progress. My Cozy is down right now for maintenance on the canard to replace the incidence tabs to fix a bad incidence angle. Also re-wiring the nose gear and panel. Might be a good opportunity to add some heat and landing lights to allow for night flying.
@@CanardBoulevard I might help James Russell do a video on the canard incidence as he has recently encountered two (mine being one of them) Cozy's with bad incidents.
like the vids, have seen various 'builders' supplying content and enjoying it, so, yeah lets see more maintenance as well as the flying (can't do one without other). cheers.
Some people use an auxiliary oil cooler inside the cockpit with a diverter valve to control the temperature. The outside cooler is always the primary with the inside cooler receiving the diverted oil as needed. Add a small fan for cabin air circulation and you're toasty.
I've seen some Cozy's with that done. I actually showed some of them in my "Rough River" video. But running oil cooler lines all the way from the engine to the front of the plane, then putting an auxiliary cooler up there, along with a fan, adds quite a bit of weight. The worst thing is...it doesn't make much heat. Your oil is at only 180 degrees F, it's not transferring a lot of heat into the cabin air. Automotive cabin heat exchangers work with coolant at 220 degrees, and a much larger heat exchanger. The owners I've talked to who have this type of heating system say it doesn't do much when it gets really cold outside.
Glad you caught these weaknesses before any caused safety issues. Boeing take note, ha! Good investigative work, thx for sharing. Believe turning a wrench on my ‘95 Wing is enough for me anymore, but having learn to fly many years ago & still an RC model enthusiast, do enjoy your Covey adventures!
Check your fork clearance when you fit it. There was a recent Velocity gear up incident where the nose gear didn't come down. Transpired that when slightly askew it jammed against a battery tray in the nose bay as the new miled fork was a little squarer than the old cast one. Looks like a nice fork.
The new fork is identical to the old one, just machined rather than cast. In the Cozy there's nothing to get jammed on up there - the recess is dedicated to only storing the nose gear.
Can you use more insulated hose (the orange hose) to run hot air into cabin? That hot air must lose quite a bit of potential in the span from engine to rear firewall.
On my other airplane, I have a digital CO monitor and that is on the list of things to buy for my Cozy restoration. Your welder might be able to fill in the cracks rather than replace the pipe.
I have a CO detector built into my headset, as well as a small portable rechargeable one I keep in the cockpit. I asked my welder about filling in the cracks, he said no way does he have the equipment or skill to do this type of specialized welding. More about this in a video coming soon that I am currently filming!
I had really bad cracking on my Long-EZ pipes from a heat muff that had been welded to the pipes and lead to stress cracking. I changed the heat muff to a clamp-on design and TIG welded up the pipe cracks. 20 yrs later the repaired pipes have never developed new cracks.
The front shock is not really a shock - it's just a spring, and a considerable amount of the "springiness" is actually the flexing of the front nose strut. Not really enough weight to do preload.
I am a retired A&P, I.A. (42 years in the business.) Would you take a look at the push rod shroud tubes and make sure none of the cylinder barrel baffles are touching those tubes. What I can see on Number 2 looks like a flange is pretty close to it and it doesn't take much to produce an oil leak in them. And if you really wat to get to know those Lycomings, look up "Key Reprints from the Flyer." It used to be a monthly publication and there are many good, informative, articles online.
@i.r.wayright1457 Thank you for excellent advice. Looking at some higher resolution pictures I have taken, it looks like the cyl 2 barrel baffle is close, but cannot actually touch the shroud as the adel clamp holding the injector line would prevent it. However...cyl 2 barrel baffle appears very close to its pushrod shroud, from what I can see in the picture. I have added it to my to-do list, and will check it on my next trip out to the hangar. My father is also a lifelong A&P (almost 60 years, retired the last 15), and he gave me a TON of his books, manuals, tools, etc. - and included in that was a copy of "Key Reprints from the Flyer" which I have already read from cover to cover. It's actually literally sitting right here next to me as I write this, as a matter of fact. :)
@@CanardBoulevard I grew up three blocks from Lycoming and worked at their airport annex for two years, overhauling engines. Sounds like you are in good shape if you read that Flyer and have an A&P for a Dad.
If you have cooling issues, concentrate on the sealing the bottom from the top. It will have the benefit of not only lowering #2 temperature, but also the rest.
I've already done this. I replaced all of the baffle seals, and sealed up all of the openings around the engine, alternator, etc. It's pretty tight. It's actually a pretty common Canard issue - some owners have tried enlarging the NACA scoop on the bottom to get more pressure and airflow, of course that adds more drag as well. My CHT's are pretty good, except for cyl 2. Once I get it under control I'll be happy with it. I saw one where they tried leaving the engine as downdraft cooled, putting a NACA scoops on the top cowl, and feeding that down like a conventional airplane. The problem with that is during the climb, when you need cooling the most, the higher angle of attack and slow speed reduces airflow into those scoops and the engine overheats.
I particularly like the mechanical work, I'd like to see a video or two on the repairs. you may want to look into an electric heater, but I don't know if it would be okay on an airplane.
Electric heat requires a TON of electrical current, which just isn't available on small aircraft. A decent sized electric heater that would work in our poorly-insulated aircraft could easily draw between 20-30 amps, and when your alternator has only a 40-60 amp capacity, that doesn't leave much left over to run the rest of the airplane. You could put a bigger alternator on, but now you need larger wire, bus bars and contactors for the additional current, which weigh more, not to mention the much heavier alternator itself.
This video was a great interest. It compliments the flying videos with real life. I know of a Mooney that had a backfire and blew a hole into the heat muff. The pilot was sleeping while the plane landed itself. Needless to say it was not an ideal landing, although the pilot was able to limp away from the aircraft when he woke up. He pointed out there are passive CO2 devices you can install in the cockpit that will tell the investigators why you had an accident and died. He has since installed a more active CO2 detector that sounds an alarm and hopefully will alert him to a problem before he goes to sleep.
I think you mean CO (carbon monoxide - poisonous, deadly gas) and not CO2 (carbon dioxide, in your soft drink). :) I have a CO detector built into my headset, as well as a small portable rechargeable one I keep in the cockpit.
Yes, I have been making mistakes like that recently. I didn't know you could get detectors built into a headset, thanks for the info. I find the the idea of carbon monoxide to be frightening.@@CanardBoulevard
@@jeffkutz4917 me too...but we've been flying with this system of heat on small aircraft for over 70 years, it works when it's maintained and inspected, and I have redundant warning devices in case it fails.
Wow! Really neat stuff and glad you found the imperfections before it was too late. Seems like a lot of extra work to install shroud heating! Why not just install an electric Janitrol heater or carry a portable USB heater with a low draw. As far as the hot cylinder could you not create another NACA duct in the cowl to increase airflow over that area! All that tubing your talking about would make me nervous for future complications! Just a thought!
It takes a tremendous amount of electrical current to generate usable heat, and small airplanes just don't have the excess electrical capacity to do it - and when copious amounts of excess heat is already available for free...which is why virtually ALL small aircraft use heat from the exhaust to heat the cabin.
Better safe than sorry!. Good that you discovered all those issues. On the other hand, is it possible to create a funnel in the lower part of the intake to redirect more air into critical places?.
You also want to be able to isolate the cabin from the engine bay in case of fire. That's what the firewall is for! Having a locked open hole in the firewall isn't great.
There's actually a second valve on the inside that can be (and usually is) closed. That will actually be coming out as well - the replacement valve box I have to install on the firewall is stainless steel, unlike the aluminum valve box on there now, so it will sustain 100LL fueled fire, where the aluminum box will just melt.
Great video. Think about having your engine power checked (if you haven’t). Fining the pitch (for the reasons you have spoken) can mask an underlying power issue.
The engine is at WOT, and fuel flow and mixture are correct. It's run this way since the prop was put on 20 years ago. I actually did a bunch of very specific power testing at specific density altitudes and airspeeds at the request of the prop manufacturer to give them some numbers before they did their calculations and recommended the pitch of the new prop. Definitely not just a "shot in the dark." :)
Prop Pitch can effect RPM. On my first prop for our O-360 Velocity, we didn’t get max RPM on the Silver Bullet prop. Catto did a second prop and now we get full rpm with a different pitch.
@@darrylwalker1867oh I didn't mean that's what you said - I was trying to explain that a great deal of testing and calculation has gone into selecting the pitch of the new prop.
The reason you run the intake at the rear is that is the cooler part of the pipe. It's all about delta: incoming air is very cold, it gets heated up by the cooler part of the pipe. It then moves forward to the hotter part of the pipe, where it gets heated up even further. If it was the other way around, it would get heated up by the hot part, then move to the cooler part of the pipe, and because the delta between the pipe and air temperature is less, less heat exchage occurs. Oil-to-coolant heat exchangers in cars work the exact same way for the same reason. I'll be getting forced air from the intake anyway because I'm putting a SCAT tube down there to pick up incoming blast air.
It is not. The starter gear ring has to be removed to replace the belt, which is why I did not replace the belt when I replaced the alternator - but I do have a new belt on hand to install when I DO pull the prop off.
If u ask me... Liquid cooling the exhaust using it heat to heat up the cabin like a cars heat radiator system Is one option Or having a copper pipe wrapped around the exhaust like a coil And with that you can choose to circulate the cabin air... Which means air from the cabin goes through the pipe around the exhaust and back into the cabin gradually increasing the temperature inside a cabin And just like in the current design you have You can also have a switch valve to control if you want a flow of hot air back into the cabin or cold air into the cabin
Liquid cooling adds a LOT of weight. The solution I'm using is kind of like you are thinking - it has a shroud, with copper coils that contact the exhaust pipe, conduct some heat away and present much more surface area for the air to pick up heat. Recirculating cabin air isn't typically done - when these shroud systems are working correctly, they can take sub-zero outside air and heat it almost instantly to over 100F, which is then put into the cabin. Plus it's less complex - with a recirculation system, you have extra ducts and a circulation fan. The traditional system (which I'm using) uses just ram air to push the hot air into the cabin, no fans required.
- Cool. For me it has been car trouble lately. Rats have gotten under the hood and been biting insulation around cables. The mechanic doesn't bother with fixing that, too much work I guess. So my dad and I will have to fix it ourselves. The biggest problem is probably that it's difficult to reach some of those cables. Meantime, the car is still running, but it gives an "engine error" message that the mechanic can't fix without fixing the cables. We'll see how it goes.
How about leaving zero welds inside heater unit? Have you tested cooling flow w a fan on naca duct and smoke? So you can see it comes out evenly throuhg cylinders and cylinders only. Could ceramic coat help inside headers? Have you balanced propeller so it doesn't shake those hot weaked headers? Using 3 jevelllry scales on eg 5 diffirent radiuses.
There are no welds on the exhaust where the heat shroud will be located - I would not trust a weld inside a cabin heater shroud. I will definitely be testing with a fan (leaf blower, actually) into the NACA duct before a flight test is performed. And I have something better for propeller balance...more details on this coming out in a video in a couple of weeks.
I suggest you reconsider your plan to cut a hole in your baffle wall. Any air entering the area above the engine that doesn't help cool the engine will reduce your overall cooling performance. I'm not necessarily saying don't do it, I just encourage you to be critical about that plan and try to get as much expert guidance on it you can.
Yeah, I do need to do some testing, and identify the pressure differential between the top and bottom, and how that would be affected by doing this. Another option would be to vent it overboard through the cowl, but that could have consequences, as that air needs to be very smooth for the prop to bite into. I'm determining right now just how much air needs to vent through in order to keep the shroud cool enough - I could restrict it enough that pushing it through the baffle will make not a huge difference.
Which is exactly why I don’t use cabin heat. The heat muff over the exhaust pipe I s a dependable pilot killer every winter. Instead, I wear an iHood battery-powered parka, iHood heated socks, & heated rukala thin-sulate gloves. All hook up to apps, so control is fast & easy. The parka has individually controlled heated panes in the back, front, neck/hood, & arms. Once warm I just cycle it all on & off extending 6hrs of on time to 10 or 12hrs.
@@CanardBoulevard not a criticism, just trying to increase awareness that there are other options that won’t kill you. I can’t find a stat but CO in GA is a big enough problem that the NTSB is pushing the FAA to require active CO monitors with both light and sound warnings. As you discovered, cracks in the exhaust can be insidious and difficult to find. I don’t have a heater in my Bushcat but, because the heads are water-cooled, I could cobble together an automotive-like wet heater with a fan that wouldn’t kill me. In the mid-Atlantic, that seems expensive and more trouble than battery-powered clothing for our short and mild winters.
Not technically, as the new prop is the same weight as the old one, and the new shroud and exhaust is almost exactly the same weight as the old one. That said, I was planning to do a new W&B once the new prop was on anyway.
My '71 VW Bus had heat exchangers around the exhaust pipe. They are horrible! Smelly + Not Efficient to heat a cab! I removed them and put 12V Ceramic 500W heaters in my Bus. Clean + Far more heat!
I've seen some Cozy's with that done. I actually showed some of them in my "Rough River" video. But running oil cooler lines all the way from the engine to the front of the plane, then putting an auxiliary cooler up there, along with a fan, adds quite a bit of weight. The worst thing is...it doesn't make much heat. Your oil is at only 180 degrees F, it's not transferring a lot of heat into the cabin air. Automotive cabin heat exchangers work with coolant at 220 degrees, and a much larger heat exchanger. The owners I've talked to who have this type of heating system say it doesn't do much when it gets really cold outside.
Electric heat uses far more electrical power than the existing electrical system can supply. To do that you'd have to increase the size of the alternator and all the alternator wiring, which decreases available power at the propeller, and you also end up with a lot more weight - heavier alternator and wiring, weight of the electric heater(s) and ductwork. And you need a LOT of power to generate any appreciable heat on cold days. Oil heat has been done by several owners, but the universal opinion is that it doesn't generate a lot of heat, and it is again quite heavy. Oil-filled lines into the cockpit, a secondary radiator and vernatherm, fan, ducts, and the drag of an extra air inlet. In cold weather, your oil isn't getting much above 160 or 170 degrees, and that just doesn't impart much heat into the cabin air. There is a reason why virtually ALL small aircraft use exhaust for heat: it's free, adds virtually no weight, and it is VERY hot. Where oil heat tries to pull heat from 170 degree engine oil, the exhaust is more like 1500 degrees. If there's one thing that there is an excess of in a piston aircraft engines, it's heat. Much less complexity, much less weight, much more heat.
I've seen some Cozy's with that done. I actually showed some of them in my "Rough River" video. But running oil cooler lines all the way from the engine to the front of the plane, then putting an auxiliary cooler up there, along with a fan, adds quite a bit of weight. The worst thing is...it doesn't make much heat. Your oil is at only 180 degrees F, it's not transferring a lot of heat into the cabin air. Automotive cabin heat exchangers work with coolant at 220 degrees, and a much larger heat exchanger. The owners I've talked to who have this type of heating system say it doesn't do much when it gets really cold outside.
Electric heat requires a TON of electrical current, which just isn't available on small aircraft. A decent sized electric heater that would work in our poorly-insulated aircraft could easily draw between 20-30 amps, and when your alternator has only a 40-60 amp capacity, that doesn't leave much left over to run the rest of the airplane. You could put a bigger alternator on, but now you need larger wire, bus bars and contactors for the additional current, which weigh more, not to mention the much heavier alternator itself.
Electric heat requires a TON of electrical current, which just isn't available on small aircraft. A decent sized electric heater that would work in our poorly-insulated aircraft could easily draw between 20-30 amps, and when your alternator has only a 40-60 amp capacity, that doesn't leave much left over to run the rest of the airplane. You could put a bigger alternator on, but now you need larger wire, bus bars and contactors for the additional current, which weigh more, not to mention the much heavier alternator itself.
Electric heat requires a TON of electrical current, which just isn't available on small aircraft. A decent sized electric heater that would work in our poorly-insulated aircraft could easily draw between 20-30 amps, and when your alternator has only a 40-60 amp capacity, that doesn't leave much left over to run the rest of the airplane. You could put a bigger alternator on, but now you need larger wire, bus bars and contactors for the additional current, which weigh more, not to mention the much heavier alternator itself. That's why virtually all small aircraft use exhaust-derived heat, and not electric.
I,ve seen some guy rigged up a ram air system to increase MP by and inch at altitude. Very interesting stuff. Those are really great planes!
Thanks for taking the time to do this video. Sharing your knowledge and practical experiences with maintenance is most appreciated.
Your video gives me some insight as to what an owner of a plane has to do in order to keep his plane in good condition.
Really interesting stuff! I like your flying videos, but I really enjoy the inside look at what it takes to keep the plane working. Seems like a constant balance of functionality, safety, weight, cost, and time. Thanks!
After watching your Goldwing videos I bought a 2007 Honda Goldwing. Now I ride it to my hanger as much as possible. Nothing like riding a Goldwing to the hanger and flying your airplane. Thanks for the very interesting videos!
Hi Scott... from north of the border here... (Canada)..Absolutely enjoy your vids and comments, and your attachment to the bird. Hoping to acquire a Velocity XL... and join the way too much fun, you and the others are having. Was a commercial rotary guy for a looong time and did a bit of private fixed wing, including glider before the heli stuff. Wish every fly guy had the attention to detail you have.
Thanks for the stuff dreams are made of.
Never a dull moment with aeroplanes,It would be good viewing the repairs you are doing to your aircraft cheers
Very interesting, i have my heat system to build on my cozy too, soni really appreciate this kind of vidéo, thank you Scott 🤩
So much information, well done scott,thank for sharing this journey
Scott: this was a great video and helped me understand what it takes to keep a canard flying. Great content
I like the information on the mechanics of aircraft. Thankyou
Thanks Scott. I'm super fortunate to have the Cozy community. I don't have heat in my Cozy and would love to see your continued progress. My Cozy is down right now for maintenance on the canard to replace the incidence tabs to fix a bad incidence angle. Also re-wiring the nose gear and panel. Might be a good opportunity to add some heat and landing lights to allow for night flying.
I have a video on landing lights coming out soon! I'm doing some rewiring as well while mine is down.
@@CanardBoulevard I might help James Russell do a video on the canard incidence as he has recently encountered two (mine being one of them) Cozy's with bad incidents.
like the vids, have seen various 'builders' supplying content and enjoying it, so, yeah lets see more maintenance as well as the flying (can't do one without other). cheers.
Some people use an auxiliary oil cooler inside the cockpit with a diverter valve to control the temperature. The outside cooler is always the primary with the inside cooler receiving the diverted oil as needed. Add a small fan for cabin air circulation and you're toasty.
I've seen some Cozy's with that done. I actually showed some of them in my "Rough River" video. But running oil cooler lines all the way from the engine to the front of the plane, then putting an auxiliary cooler up there, along with a fan, adds quite a bit of weight. The worst thing is...it doesn't make much heat. Your oil is at only 180 degrees F, it's not transferring a lot of heat into the cabin air. Automotive cabin heat exchangers work with coolant at 220 degrees, and a much larger heat exchanger. The owners I've talked to who have this type of heating system say it doesn't do much when it gets really cold outside.
Glad you caught these weaknesses before any caused safety issues. Boeing take note, ha! Good investigative work, thx for sharing. Believe turning a wrench on my ‘95 Wing is enough for me anymore, but having learn to fly many years ago & still an RC model enthusiast, do enjoy your Covey adventures!
Check your fork clearance when you fit it. There was a recent Velocity gear up incident where the nose gear didn't come down. Transpired that when slightly askew it jammed against a battery tray in the nose bay as the new miled fork was a little squarer than the old cast one.
Looks like a nice fork.
The new fork is identical to the old one, just machined rather than cast. In the Cozy there's nothing to get jammed on up there - the recess is dedicated to only storing the nose gear.
@@CanardBoulevard 👍
Can you use more insulated hose (the orange hose) to run hot air into cabin? That hot air must lose quite a bit of potential in the span from engine to rear firewall.
On my other airplane, I have a digital CO monitor and that is on the list of things to buy for my Cozy restoration. Your welder might be able to fill in the cracks rather than replace the pipe.
I have a CO detector built into my headset, as well as a small portable rechargeable one I keep in the cockpit. I asked my welder about filling in the cracks, he said no way does he have the equipment or skill to do this type of specialized welding. More about this in a video coming soon that I am currently filming!
I had really bad cracking on my Long-EZ pipes from a heat muff that had been welded to the pipes and lead to stress cracking. I changed the heat muff to a clamp-on design and TIG welded up the pipe cracks. 20 yrs later the repaired pipes have never developed new cracks.
Yes more videos like this,
And even the repairs in progress,
Can you add preload to front shock
The front shock is not really a shock - it's just a spring, and a considerable amount of the "springiness" is actually the flexing of the front nose strut. Not really enough weight to do preload.
I am a retired A&P, I.A. (42 years in the business.) Would you take a look at the push rod shroud tubes and make sure none of the cylinder barrel baffles are touching those tubes. What I can see on Number 2 looks like a flange is pretty close to it and it doesn't take much to produce an oil leak in them. And if you really wat to get to know those Lycomings, look up "Key Reprints from the Flyer." It used to be a monthly publication and there are many good, informative, articles online.
@i.r.wayright1457 Thank you for excellent advice. Looking at some higher resolution pictures I have taken, it looks like the cyl 2 barrel baffle is close, but cannot actually touch the shroud as the adel clamp holding the injector line would prevent it. However...cyl 2 barrel baffle appears very close to its pushrod shroud, from what I can see in the picture. I have added it to my to-do list, and will check it on my next trip out to the hangar.
My father is also a lifelong A&P (almost 60 years, retired the last 15), and he gave me a TON of his books, manuals, tools, etc. - and included in that was a copy of "Key Reprints from the Flyer" which I have already read from cover to cover. It's actually literally sitting right here next to me as I write this, as a matter of fact. :)
@@CanardBoulevard I grew up three blocks from Lycoming and worked at their airport annex for two years, overhauling engines. Sounds like you are in good shape if you read that Flyer and have an A&P for a Dad.
If you have cooling issues, concentrate on the sealing the bottom from the top.
It will have the benefit of not only lowering #2 temperature, but also the rest.
I've already done this. I replaced all of the baffle seals, and sealed up all of the openings around the engine, alternator, etc. It's pretty tight. It's actually a pretty common Canard issue - some owners have tried enlarging the NACA scoop on the bottom to get more pressure and airflow, of course that adds more drag as well. My CHT's are pretty good, except for cyl 2. Once I get it under control I'll be happy with it.
I saw one where they tried leaving the engine as downdraft cooled, putting a NACA scoops on the top cowl, and feeding that down like a conventional airplane. The problem with that is during the climb, when you need cooling the most, the higher angle of attack and slow speed reduces airflow into those scoops and the engine overheats.
I particularly like the mechanical work, I'd like to see a video or two on the repairs. you may want to look into an electric heater, but I don't know if it would be okay on an airplane.
Electric heat requires a TON of electrical current, which just isn't available on small aircraft. A decent sized electric heater that would work in our poorly-insulated aircraft could easily draw between 20-30 amps, and when your alternator has only a 40-60 amp capacity, that doesn't leave much left over to run the rest of the airplane. You could put a bigger alternator on, but now you need larger wire, bus bars and contactors for the additional current, which weigh more, not to mention the much heavier alternator itself.
@@CanardBoulevard just a thought...
-- Fascinating video, as always! 😊👍🛩️
This video was a great interest. It compliments the flying videos with real life. I know of a Mooney that had a backfire and blew a hole into the heat muff. The pilot was sleeping while the plane landed itself. Needless to say it was not an ideal landing, although the pilot was able to limp away from the aircraft when he woke up. He pointed out there are passive CO2 devices you can install in the cockpit that will tell the investigators why you had an accident and died. He has since installed a more active CO2 detector that sounds an alarm and hopefully will alert him to a problem before he goes to sleep.
I think you mean CO (carbon monoxide - poisonous, deadly gas) and not CO2 (carbon dioxide, in your soft drink). :) I have a CO detector built into my headset, as well as a small portable rechargeable one I keep in the cockpit.
Yes, I have been making mistakes like that recently. I didn't know you could get detectors built into a headset, thanks for the info. I find the the idea of carbon monoxide to be frightening.@@CanardBoulevard
@@jeffkutz4917 me too...but we've been flying with this system of heat on small aircraft for over 70 years, it works when it's maintained and inspected, and I have redundant warning devices in case it fails.
Great video Scott, very interesting !
Really nice videos
I have a question :
Where do you find the new machined nose wheel fork ?
Thank for the information
Laurent
3:23 Composites designed and has had them manufactured: 323composites.com/a-better-nose-wheel-fork/
Wow! Really neat stuff and glad you found the imperfections before it was too late. Seems like a lot of extra work to install shroud heating! Why not just install an electric Janitrol heater or carry a portable USB heater with a low draw. As far as the hot cylinder could you not create another NACA duct in the cowl to increase airflow over that area! All that tubing your talking about would make me nervous for future complications! Just a thought!
It takes a tremendous amount of electrical current to generate usable heat, and small airplanes just don't have the excess electrical capacity to do it - and when copious amounts of excess heat is already available for free...which is why virtually ALL small aircraft use heat from the exhaust to heat the cabin.
Better safe than sorry!. Good that you discovered all those issues. On the other hand, is it possible to create a funnel in the lower part of the intake to redirect more air into critical places?.
There are multiple different methods of directing air - usually either ramps built into the cowl, or blast tubes made of SCAT tubing.
You also want to be able to isolate the cabin from the engine bay in case of fire. That's what the firewall is for! Having a locked open hole in the firewall isn't great.
There's actually a second valve on the inside that can be (and usually is) closed. That will actually be coming out as well - the replacement valve box I have to install on the firewall is stainless steel, unlike the aluminum valve box on there now, so it will sustain 100LL fueled fire, where the aluminum box will just melt.
Well thought through
Great video.
Think about having your engine power checked (if you haven’t). Fining the pitch (for the reasons you have spoken) can mask an underlying power issue.
The engine is at WOT, and fuel flow and mixture are correct. It's run this way since the prop was put on 20 years ago. I actually did a bunch of very specific power testing at specific density altitudes and airspeeds at the request of the prop manufacturer to give them some numbers before they did their calculations and recommended the pitch of the new prop. Definitely not just a "shot in the dark." :)
Prop Pitch can effect RPM. On my first prop for our O-360 Velocity, we didn’t get max RPM on the Silver Bullet prop. Catto did a second prop and now we get full rpm with a different pitch.
@@CanardBoulevard I wasn’t aware I said it was a shot in the dark. All the best, I enjoyed being a subscriber.
@@darrylwalker1867oh I didn't mean that's what you said - I was trying to explain that a great deal of testing and calculation has gone into selecting the pitch of the new prop.
I would reverse your air flow for your heater. It means you will have to double back a hose, but you can then get forced air in form your air intake.
The reason you run the intake at the rear is that is the cooler part of the pipe. It's all about delta: incoming air is very cold, it gets heated up by the cooler part of the pipe. It then moves forward to the hotter part of the pipe, where it gets heated up even further.
If it was the other way around, it would get heated up by the hot part, then move to the cooler part of the pipe, and because the delta between the pipe and air temperature is less, less heat exchage occurs.
Oil-to-coolant heat exchangers in cars work the exact same way for the same reason.
I'll be getting forced air from the intake anyway because I'm putting a SCAT tube down there to pick up incoming blast air.
Looks like the alternator belt is large enough diameter to clear the starter wheel. Try that once the original propeller has been removed.
It is not. The starter gear ring has to be removed to replace the belt, which is why I did not replace the belt when I replaced the alternator - but I do have a new belt on hand to install when I DO pull the prop off.
If u ask me...
Liquid cooling the exhaust using it heat to heat up the cabin like a cars heat radiator system
Is one option
Or having a copper pipe wrapped around the exhaust like a coil
And with that you can choose to circulate the cabin air...
Which means air from the cabin goes through the pipe around the exhaust and back into the cabin gradually increasing the temperature inside a cabin
And just like in the current design you have
You can also have a switch valve to control if you want a flow of hot air back into the cabin or cold air into the cabin
Liquid cooling adds a LOT of weight. The solution I'm using is kind of like you are thinking - it has a shroud, with copper coils that contact the exhaust pipe, conduct some heat away and present much more surface area for the air to pick up heat. Recirculating cabin air isn't typically done - when these shroud systems are working correctly, they can take sub-zero outside air and heat it almost instantly to over 100F, which is then put into the cabin. Plus it's less complex - with a recirculation system, you have extra ducts and a circulation fan. The traditional system (which I'm using) uses just ram air to push the hot air into the cabin, no fans required.
thanks
- Cool. For me it has been car trouble lately. Rats have gotten under the hood and been biting insulation around cables. The mechanic doesn't bother with fixing that, too much work I guess. So my dad and I will have to fix it ourselves. The biggest problem is probably that it's difficult to reach some of those cables. Meantime, the car is still running, but it gives an "engine error" message that the mechanic can't fix without fixing the cables. We'll see how it goes.
Yeah, mice and rats can do an incredible amount of very expensive damage to wiring!
How about leaving zero welds inside heater unit? Have you tested cooling flow w a fan on naca duct and smoke? So you can see it comes out evenly throuhg cylinders and cylinders only. Could ceramic coat help inside headers? Have you balanced propeller so it doesn't shake those hot weaked headers? Using 3 jevelllry scales on eg 5 diffirent radiuses.
There are no welds on the exhaust where the heat shroud will be located - I would not trust a weld inside a cabin heater shroud. I will definitely be testing with a fan (leaf blower, actually) into the NACA duct before a flight test is performed. And I have something better for propeller balance...more details on this coming out in a video in a couple of weeks.
Hi Scott, John from Los Angeles like your video. I am have the same problem with my nose gear also . Where did you order your fork ?
Check out 3:23 Composites: 323composites.com/a-better-nose-wheel-fork/
I suggest you reconsider your plan to cut a hole in your baffle wall. Any air entering the area above the engine that doesn't help cool the engine will reduce your overall cooling performance. I'm not necessarily saying don't do it, I just encourage you to be critical about that plan and try to get as much expert guidance on it you can.
Yeah, I do need to do some testing, and identify the pressure differential between the top and bottom, and how that would be affected by doing this. Another option would be to vent it overboard through the cowl, but that could have consequences, as that air needs to be very smooth for the prop to bite into. I'm determining right now just how much air needs to vent through in order to keep the shroud cool enough - I could restrict it enough that pushing it through the baffle will make not a huge difference.
Which is exactly why I don’t use cabin heat. The heat muff over the exhaust pipe I s a dependable pilot killer every winter. Instead, I wear an iHood battery-powered parka, iHood heated socks, & heated rukala thin-sulate gloves. All hook up to apps, so control is fast & easy. The parka has individually controlled heated panes in the back, front, neck/hood, & arms. Once warm I just cycle it all on & off extending 6hrs of on time to 10 or 12hrs.
I have some heated gear, but I also have two sensitive CO detectors, one in my headset and one portable rechargeable one in the cockpit!
@@CanardBoulevard not a criticism, just trying to increase awareness that there are other options that won’t kill you. I can’t find a stat but CO in GA is a big enough problem that the NTSB is pushing the FAA to require active CO monitors with both light and sound warnings. As you discovered, cracks in the exhaust can be insidious and difficult to find.
I don’t have a heater in my Bushcat but, because the heads are water-cooled, I could cobble together an automotive-like wet heater with a fan that wouldn’t kill me. In the mid-Atlantic, that seems expensive and more trouble than battery-powered clothing for our short and mild winters.
I am guessing you will have to do a new weight and balance?
Not technically, as the new prop is the same weight as the old one, and the new shroud and exhaust is almost exactly the same weight as the old one. That said, I was planning to do a new W&B once the new prop was on anyway.
My '71 VW Bus had heat exchangers around the exhaust pipe. They are horrible! Smelly + Not Efficient to heat a cab! I removed them and put 12V Ceramic 500W heaters in my Bus. Clean + Far more heat!
Have you considered oil heat?
I've seen some Cozy's with that done. I actually showed some of them in my "Rough River" video. But running oil cooler lines all the way from the engine to the front of the plane, then putting an auxiliary cooler up there, along with a fan, adds quite a bit of weight. The worst thing is...it doesn't make much heat. Your oil is at only 180 degrees F, it's not transferring a lot of heat into the cabin air. Automotive cabin heat exchangers work with coolant at 220 degrees, and a much larger heat exchanger. The owners I've talked to who have this type of heating system say it doesn't do much when it gets really cold outside.
Here is some free advice stop using engine exhaust for heat. Get a heat exchanger for oil. And use electric heat.
Electric heat uses far more electrical power than the existing electrical system can supply. To do that you'd have to increase the size of the alternator and all the alternator wiring, which decreases available power at the propeller, and you also end up with a lot more weight - heavier alternator and wiring, weight of the electric heater(s) and ductwork. And you need a LOT of power to generate any appreciable heat on cold days.
Oil heat has been done by several owners, but the universal opinion is that it doesn't generate a lot of heat, and it is again quite heavy. Oil-filled lines into the cockpit, a secondary radiator and vernatherm, fan, ducts, and the drag of an extra air inlet. In cold weather, your oil isn't getting much above 160 or 170 degrees, and that just doesn't impart much heat into the cabin air.
There is a reason why virtually ALL small aircraft use exhaust for heat: it's free, adds virtually no weight, and it is VERY hot. Where oil heat tries to pull heat from 170 degree engine oil, the exhaust is more like 1500 degrees. If there's one thing that there is an excess of in a piston aircraft engines, it's heat. Much less complexity, much less weight, much more heat.
Why not ues a 2nd oil cooler for hot air
I've seen some Cozy's with that done. I actually showed some of them in my "Rough River" video. But running oil cooler lines all the way from the engine to the front of the plane, then putting an auxiliary cooler up there, along with a fan, adds quite a bit of weight. The worst thing is...it doesn't make much heat. Your oil is at only 180 degrees F, it's not transferring a lot of heat into the cabin air. Automotive cabin heat exchangers work with coolant at 220 degrees, and a much larger heat exchanger. The owners I've talked to who have this type of heating system say it doesn't do much when it gets really cold outside.
Why not a simple resistance heater and clean up the plumbing at the same time.
Electric heat requires a TON of electrical current, which just isn't available on small aircraft. A decent sized electric heater that would work in our poorly-insulated aircraft could easily draw between 20-30 amps, and when your alternator has only a 40-60 amp capacity, that doesn't leave much left over to run the rest of the airplane. You could put a bigger alternator on, but now you need larger wire, bus bars and contactors for the additional current, which weigh more, not to mention the much heavier alternator itself.
How about and inverter and use a electric hearer.
Electric heat requires a TON of electrical current, which just isn't available on small aircraft. A decent sized electric heater that would work in our poorly-insulated aircraft could easily draw between 20-30 amps, and when your alternator has only a 40-60 amp capacity, that doesn't leave much left over to run the rest of the airplane. You could put a bigger alternator on, but now you need larger wire, bus bars and contactors for the additional current, which weigh more, not to mention the much heavier alternator itself.
2700 Horsepower! Ill show myself out
180 hp @ 2700rpm
Forget all the heater air plumbing. Use an electric heater system instead; and no carbon monoxide worries.
Electric heat requires a TON of electrical current, which just isn't available on small aircraft. A decent sized electric heater that would work in our poorly-insulated aircraft could easily draw between 20-30 amps, and when your alternator has only a 40-60 amp capacity, that doesn't leave much left over to run the rest of the airplane. You could put a bigger alternator on, but now you need larger wire, bus bars and contactors for the additional current, which weigh more, not to mention the much heavier alternator itself.
That's why virtually all small aircraft use exhaust-derived heat, and not electric.
I'm sorry did you say "it goes through the prop"? poke poke
Yup. It's a pusher. EVERYTHING goes through the prop!!
It’s gunna snow for 3 weeks.