Heating for winter

[Mike G]

Has any of the owners (or manufacturers) of the Magni, MT03, ELA open gyros tried to fit a heater?
I was wondering if we could use the 912 carb heat system around the exhaust of a 914, with a little fan from a car scrap yard we could blow hot air into the cockpit.

Mike G

[CLS447]

You could route a hose from your tailpipe to your one piece flight suit.

Just try not to inhale too many exhaust fumes !

Ahh...maybe just go with the electric clothing !

[tallgent]

MT03s can be fitted with additional electrical sockets. Electrically heated gloves and suit keeps you toasty warm - no need for all that complicated plumbing!

[Mike484]

Look at something like this, they offer electric clothing that you can plug into a 12 volt socket or can be used with rechargeable batteries.

http://www.gerbing.com/

[Paul Salmon, MD]

I fly a Magni with an electrical suit- 12 volt motorcycle. I wear insulated underwear, pants, t-shirt with sweat shirt over it, then the electical jacket, overalls over that with another larger coat over that. I wear gloves with the hot packs in them, in my shoes I put a hot pack (glove warmer) on the top of my foot all the way to my toes between 2 pairs of insulated socks. A face mask under my headset/helmet. This works well down to about 10 degrees. Its not as bad as it sounds, and you will stay pretty toasty.

[Mike G]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'd thought of electric clothes but the 914 generator is limited to 20 amps, 2 jacket liners alone would draw 13 amps, add to that the fuel pumps, Flydat, trim motor and lights and I'd be close to the limit.

Also I fly wearing cotton clothes overalls and a jacket for working in the Refinery (I work for an Oil company so I get issued with them) and they fire proof, I have spare sets (different sizes) for my passengers so I don't really want to change.

Mike G

[Mike484]

You might want to try just the battery powered socks and gloves then, I thing they are available at most outdoors/hunting stores.

[ckurz7000]

I have electrically heated over-pants and an electrically heated jacket, both from Gerbing. The past two winters I didn't need them; it never got below 0°C (32 °F) when I was flying. What I wear is: long underwear, a pair of old leather pants, a thin turtle neck sweater and a heavier sweater, a good quality Northface jacket. Warm socks and a pair of hiking boots. Skiing gloves.

This attire is good down to about freezing temps for up to 1 hour of flying, I found. After that, the cold seeps in through the jacket and gloves. Wearing the heated jacket instead of the second sweater and a pair of heated gloves fixes that. At the expense of feeling slightly more bulked up.

-- Chris.

[helipaddy]

an OZee flying suit with a newspaper inside it on my chest. Flew yesterday and the day before It was well below freezing at 1000ft. The newspaper works really well for insulating.

http://shop.ozee.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=21_27&products_id=81

[tallgent]

I haven't tried it in the air but I have a thinsulate undersuit for my diving dry suite which I reckon would be pretty effective. If I can dive in the Irish Sea for an hour or so in January and February and still stay warm, I reckon it will do nicely under my flying suit should the weather get even colder.