sandpiper Posted November 13, 2019 Report Share Posted November 13, 2019 3 hours ago, Buckaroo said: I love this little heater! At only two hundred watts is an insulated cowl cover needed? What aircraft is this mounted on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted November 13, 2019 Report Share Posted November 13, 2019 23 minutes ago, sandpiper said: At only two hundred watts is an insulated cowl cover needed? What aircraft is this mounted on? Google it and you’ll read a lot of specs about it they’re great they’re totally safe you can put it in a fuel environment you can put it under the cowling and then wrap the cowling with a blanket that’s what you’re supposed to do. I’ve got it in my Aerotrek 240. I place it in the oil dipstick door down inside the engine compartment and then I wrap a blanket and it sits all the time on. This is the plane I replaced my CTSW with. The fit and finish is superb on this aircraft but not the complexity of the FD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted November 13, 2019 Report Share Posted November 13, 2019 1 hour ago, sandpiper said: At only two hundred watts is an insulated cowl cover needed? What aircraft is this mounted on? A fellow just bought one of these for his Maule. They say 48 hours to warm in up. I use 2 100w light bulbs, a couple small pillows, and a second hand comforter for my Warrior. This set up has worked for years. I also have a little 1500w under desk heater that I can drop in the cowling of the Warrior if it is cold and a bulb is burnt out. I also use the little heater for out Taylorcraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted November 13, 2019 Report Share Posted November 13, 2019 31 minutes ago, Tom Baker said: A fellow just bought one of these for his Maule. They say 48 hours to warm in up. I use 2 100w light bulbs, a couple small pillows, and a second hand comforter for my Warrior. This set up has worked for years. I also have a little 1500w under desk heater that I can drop in the cowling of the Warrior if it is cold and a bulb is burnt out. I also use the little heater for out Taylorcraft. What attracted me to this was the safety aspect you can put it into the engine up against any material and be assured that you won’t burn or cause fires etc. I just stick it in the engine compartment not worried about it being up against any thing that could be damaged or cause a fire. I now live in Idaho Falls and my plane is in a non heated and non insulated hanger and it keeps the engine compartment nice and warm for the engine heats up to running temperatures quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandpiper Posted November 13, 2019 Report Share Posted November 13, 2019 Nice looking aircraft Buckaroo! Question. A mixture control on a 912?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlingPilot Posted November 13, 2019 Report Share Posted November 13, 2019 23 hours ago, Tom Baker said: I don't like the band around the oil tank. I have seen the carbon fiber holder for the oil tank scorched by the Reiff heating band. The band around the tank is far better, IMO, than replacing engine bolts in the Tanis installation. Tanis has you remove bolts and replace with a bolt that incorporates a heating element. It is, in no way as strong as the bolt it replaced. They make a great product, but for the Rotax, REIFF or the Hornet are my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 23 minutes ago, SlingPilot said: The band around the tank is far better, IMO, than replacing engine bolts in the Tanis installation. Tanis has you remove bolts and replace with a bolt that incorporates a heating element. It is, in no way as strong as the bolt it replaced. They make a great product, but for the Rotax, REIFF or the Hornet are my choice. Not when it is scorching the resin in the carbon fiber mount that holds the oil tank. The Reiff band may be okay for your installation, but for the CT where the tank sits in a carbon fiber cradle that goes slightly more than half way around the tank it is not so good. I have installed a couple Tanis heaters on Rotax engines. They have moved away from removing bolts as the primary installation method. In the two that I did, I only removed 2 bolts, and they were supporting the drip tray, with rubber isolation on both sides. Not exactly a high stress area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 1 hour ago, sandpiper said: Nice looking aircraft Buckaroo! Question. A mixture control on a 912?? Hey thanks a lot Mr. sandpiper! I was attracted to the fuel management set up on this with the header tank etc.! The manufacturer installed the enrichener control. I think it’s for cross-country flights etc. to set optimal mixture. I don’t use it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WmInce Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 That's a pretty little Aerotrek! Having fun with it? How's it fly compared to your CTSW? Any regrets on letting the CT go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 2 minutes ago, WmInce said: That's a pretty little Aerotrek! Having fun with it? How's it fly compared to your CTSW? Any regrets on letting the CT go? The Aerotrek is very light. Like I said the build quality is beautiful but the materials are ultra light compared to the CT. Much of the important structures are exterior making inspections and annuals simple. The main gear is strong and simple. Components of the front gear are all easily accessible. The interior room is similar to the CT with lots of head room and large baggage behind the seats. Flying her takes very little rudder and landing is straight forward. Speeds seem to be 120 mph indicated at 4850 plus feet. I’m running a 912 ULS and engine performance is similar to the CT. Flaps are manual and simple with very little affect on flying and handling in the pattern. Trim is next to the flap lever and totally manual and simple. Take off roll is 1/2 the distance than my CT was but I’m sure cruise is 5 mph less. Overall I am much more satisfied with the Aerotrek than the CT but I better be for $85,000 for this 2017 new model! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WmInce Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 8 minutes ago, Buckaroo said: The Aerotrek is very light. Like I said the build quality is beautiful but the materials are ultra light compared to the CT. Much of the important structures are exterior making inspections and annuals simple. The main gear is strong and simple. Components of the front gear are all easily accessible. The interior room is similar to the CT with lots of head room and large baggage behind the seats. Flying her takes very little rudder and landing is straight forward. Speeds seem to be 120 mph indicated at 4850 plus feet. I’m running a 912 ULS and engine performance is similar to the CT. Flaps are manual and simple with very little affect on flying and handling in the pattern. Trim is next to the flap lever and totally manual and simple. Take off roll is 1/2 the distance than my CT was but I’m sure cruise is 5 mph less. Overall I am much more satisfied with the Aerotrek than the CT but I better be for $85,000 for this 2017 new model! Thanks Buckaroo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 Just now, WmInce said: Thanks Buckaroo. Yes sir! I would like to add that my CT was a brilliant plane that amazed me every time I flew her. She taught me better rudder control than any airplane I’ve ever flown. The Mercedes quality also amazed me and the fit and finish was beautiful. I will miss this CTSW but the fuel system overall needs drastic improvement! Otherwise I would have kept her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosity2k Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 So I have a '12 CTLSi in Northeast Ohio. I flew it the other day in 30* temps. All I did was pull it out, start it and let it sit in idle till the temps hit 120* F then I began to taxi out. Is this poor starting practice? Do I need to have an engine heater? My annual is in two weeks and thinking if I will need one better to get it at this time and they can install it during the annual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosity2k Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 On 11/11/2019 at 1:03 PM, AGLyme said: I flew last winter in Connecticut... I merely plugged in the battery charger that came with the plane. The Rotax starts right up This is what I did the other day and just made sure not to taxi till engine oil temp was up to 120... Anything wrong with this process? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted November 14, 2019 Report Share Posted November 14, 2019 I probably jinxed myself by saying my cold motor starts right up every time in the winter, so be careful...; ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 I think it’s just me but I feel more comfortable having a slightly warmer engine to start in the morning because I am concerned about the wear aspect. Especially when the hanger is 30° or below! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 I just had a customer's 1000 hour gearbox inspection require a gear replacement because of excessive idling. It went from a $600 inspection to over $2000. Preheating the engine allows less time sitting there idling while warming up, which equates to less time to damage the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Well, snowmobiles don't have a similar gearbox between the motor and the drive train. I guess the gearbox is the weak link in the temperature chain. It is a good argument for pre-heating. My pal who has an Arrow turns his pre-heater on and off using his cell phone. I'll speak with him and see how to get that going this winter. Thanks Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosity2k Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Is there a company that makes a pre heater we can activate via cell phone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosity2k Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 Also the Reiff vs the Tanis system? Anyone using the Reiff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baker Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 36 minutes ago, Animosity2k said: Also the Reiff vs the Tanis system? Anyone using the Reiff? I would not recommend Reiff for a CT. I stated my reason why in a post above somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckaroo Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 1 hour ago, Animosity2k said: Is there a company that makes a pre heater we can activate via cell phone? I think they sell plugs that actuate via cell phone. You leave the heater on and work the plug via phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGLyme Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 My friend “Andy E” from Chester CT airport uses the “HangarBot” app to turn on his Engine heater, lights, his hangar security and the hangar door... very cool. Contact “kendra@hangarbot.com” if you are interested. Buck is correct... Re how it works. His heater is off the shelf. Get in touch with HangarBot they will tell you how, what and how much. It was pretty cool watching his hangar door open as we pulled up the other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosity2k Posted November 16, 2019 Report Share Posted November 16, 2019 3 hours ago, Tom Baker said: I would not recommend Reiff for a CT. I stated my reason why in a post above somewhere. I did see that post. Then a few where people said it worked well. The idea of having to use non factory bolts seems questionable no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosity2k Posted November 16, 2019 Report Share Posted November 16, 2019 3 hours ago, Buckaroo said: I think they sell plugs that actuate via cell phone. You leave the heater on and work the plug via phone. All I could find was WiFi activated plugs and my hangar lacks WiFi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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