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How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 3:29 PM   
foosball_movie



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Status: offline 		Hi. I'd like to break in a new OS .60 engine this weekend, but the forcast call for temps in the high 40's or lower 50's.

Is there a point at which it is too cold to attempt to start an engine?

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 3:34 PM   
CGRetired



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Status: offline 		Sort of all depends on how your tolerance to cold is. Here in NJ, 45 - 50 degrees is fine. The only problem you may have is starting the engine. Use some lighter fluid (ronson.. cigarette lighter fluid) to prime the engine... put a couple drops in the carb and then let the glow driver sit for about 10 - 20 seconds to warm up the inside of the cylinder, then start it up. Keep the glow driver on for another 30 or so seconds before removing it. Run the new engine very rich.. according to manufacturers instructions on break in.

It may take a few seconds of constant turning with an electric starter, but go for it. It will start.

DS

< Message edited by CGRetired -- 1/4/2007 3:35 PM >

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 3:34 PM   
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Status: offline 		Well, that's certainly nowhere near it. Waaah! People fly off snow and ice with the temp in the teens and lower. They may have to apply a little heat to the motor to get it to start in that climate but the limit for practical purposes is the pilot. My hands get too cold and this is supposed to be fun. It's not FUN when I'm that cold .

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 3:38 PM   
CGRetired



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Status: offline 		Was that a two part question? How cold is to cold to fly.. all depends on you and if your fingers get frozen to the controls.. Otherwise.. see my previous post.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 3:45 PM   
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Status: offline 		What they said if you dont like using lister flued just get some of those chemical foot warmers open them and pack 2 around the cylinder for abotu a minute warms it wight up pull them off then start the engine.

As for how old is to cold you can only answere that once you can take it anymore the plane could probab ly do another 30 flights

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 3:51 PM   
foosball_movie



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Status: offline 		That's good news. I worried that cold temps may damage RC engines. I can't wait to get started. Thanks for the help.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 4:02 PM   
CGRetired



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Status: offline 		No sweat. Just don't run out of patients if it won't start right away. 50 degrees is not like 70 degrees. It wil take a few moments to warm up enough to start. Just use a good glow driver and turn it with an electric starter. As I said, it may take a few revolutions (maybe 20 or 30 seconds) of constant turning, but give it a go. Do it twice or three times till it starts. After it does start, it will be much easier to start once it runs out of fuel or you shut it down momentarily. Just make darned sure you run it very rich on the first couple of tank fulls no matter what the temperature is. Rich enough for the engine to pump out blue smoke and spit oil, and go from a smooth two stroke sound to a rough four cycle sound. Run it at a constant full throttle with a very rich mixture, for about 30 seconds, then back off for about 10 seconds, then back to full throttle. In the second tank, after about a half tank has burned away, lean out the mixture at full throttle till it stops four-stroke sound, run it for about 10 seconds, then back to rich for about 30 seconds, then repeat. This will give you the best results and will break it in.

You will get many different opinions on this. Even those that will tell you not to run it at full throttle at all.. but that's nonesense. I have 7 OS engines now and one Super Tigre 75, all broken in the same way, and they all run perfectly and have plenty of power.

DS.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 4:11 PM   
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Status: offline 		The Ronson lighter fluid is good for priming stuborn engines, even in warm weather because it ignites easier than our fuel. Do go overboard though, no oil in it for lube.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 4:53 PM   
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Status: offline 		You can use a heat gun, preferably a hair dryer to heat the engine head on really cold days. Battery-powered RC Tire warmers wrapped around the head work nice for keeping your engine head warm during down-time.

On very cold days you can block off a portion of the venting on cowled engines to help regulate engine temps or you can wrap about half (speaking vertically) the cooling head in heat resistant foam. Just keep an eye on the engine temp after a short first flight to be safe.

Here is an old, but solid article for RC car engines but most of the techniques translate. It reiterates what I've said to a point but explains more.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 5:04 PM   
Soda Ant



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Status: offline 		It's not too cold as long as the fuel is still a liquid.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 5:18 PM   
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Status: offline 		I've noticed that I need to richen up the mixture in cooler weather. Makes sense but otherwise they seem to run fine in the cold .

Its my fingers that don't work well frozen!

Dave

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 6:54 PM   
rclement



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Status: offline 		It might be too cold if it's like this outside........

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/4/2007 7:16 PM   
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Status: offline 		The times I fly when it is really cold , I preheat my engine using the exhaust of my truck to heat the engine, it works really well...
-Tom

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/5/2007 1:55 AM   
Gizmo-RCU


 

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Status: offline 		We sometimes fly in the teens, a little lighter fluid and a good glow driver and starter, as well as a place that's good for warmups and you are set. 40-50?, a regular heat wave for us, shirtsleves and all, we go water skiing when it's that hot
A good thing to remember is to not throttle way down for long periods or the fire might go out! 4 strokes take longer to heat up also.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/5/2007 4:07 AM   
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Status: offline 		In the summer here we can get some pretty cool nights with the field temp being only around 50 early in the morning. The engine is still warm from being in the basement and then the van so thats not a problem. Just have to watch that you don't get fuel on your fingers. The alcohol evaporating can make the fingers sore!

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/6/2007 3:59 AM   
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Status: offline 		If you've got one of those propane tank heaters it's never too cold ....lol....well at least not here....start engine.....warm fingers.....take off....fly...land....turn off airplane.....warm fingers......LOL

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/6/2007 6:30 AM   
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Status: offline 		It has been a while but I have seen cold weather gear for flying (even a mitt that fits over the radio) For those that have that cold white stuff on the ground there are plans for Landing Skids.
One word of Caution Propblast can blow snow into your plane Snow melts = Wet equipment = Crashed plane

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/6/2007 4:02 PM   
WMB


 

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Status: offline 		I have flown when the temps are in the teens. That prop blast is tough o the fingers also. Batteries lose voltage quick also. The worst part is not feeling the sticks when fingers go numb. 40's and 50's, perfect flying weather. My Magnum 15 runs best at these temps, my Saito 45 likes above 70 temps- weird.
Keep them fingers warm, MikeB

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/6/2007 4:30 PM   
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quote:

ORIGINAL: bruce88123

The Ronson lighter fluid is good for priming stuborn engines, even in warm weather because it ignites easier than our fuel. Do go overboard though, no oil in it for lube.



I like the sound of this. Is that in a ^%$# book anywhere? I can't stop LMFAOFF!!! Got any slides for this? Gee I wonder if you filled up the cylinder with fuel and attached the glow, if it would jumpstart the engine?

< Message edited by Cyclic Hardover -- 1/6/2007 4:38 PM >

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/10/2007 10:12 PM   
remecuda


 

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Status: offline 		Well if your looking for a real cold temp to fly in, come on up to Canada. Up here in the northern part of Alberta we go by a general temperature rule, -5c is good but below -10c is not. Most engines do not have a problem with the cold but if you want to keep some heat in the engine once your air born, try putting some aluminum foil around the front of the cooling fins, this seems to work good up here in winter and the engines work great. But also you must consider that most balsa wood does not like the cold , it becomes very brittle after -5c. So check you temps and see whats good, we fly all year round up here just depends what the weather for the day is like.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/10/2007 10:33 PM   
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Cyclic Hardover

quote:

ORIGINAL: bruce88123

The Ronson lighter fluid is good for priming stuborn engines, even in warm weather because it ignites easier than our fuel. Do go overboard though, no oil in it for lube.



I like the sound of this. Is that in a ^%$# book anywhere? I can't stop LMFAOFF!!! Got any slides for this? Gee I wonder if you filled up the cylinder with fuel and attached the glow, if it would jumpstart the engine?

Laugh if you wish, I've seen it work. There was a typo though, it shoud have read "Don't go overboard". Try filling the cylinder, let me know what happens. Sounds like a pretty STUPID idea to me though.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/10/2007 10:51 PM   
LT-40



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Status: offline 		40-50 degrees! Dang you are one lucky guy! I took my planes out last Saturday, and it was 22 degrees. Unfortunately I was having a problem with my rx, and I didn't fly It was really cool tho, the entire taxi way and pit area was covered by a thin sheet of ice. I really wished I had my trainer so I could do dounuts The forecast for this weed is a high of 20, and I am planing on flying. Don't worry about the engine, but you need to be careful with the covering on your model because it gets brittle , and you need to be sure to check your batteries after every flight.

Have fun!

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/10/2007 11:32 PM   
dieFluggeister



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Status: offline 		Here's a vid I took a took this year. Just finished a new plane and couldn't wait for warmer weather to fly it. I did have some trouble starting the engine but it was from a pinched fuel line NOT from the cold . Once that was corrected it started right up and flew like a champ. The best thing about flying in Winter is the huge landing strips!

http://www.rcuvideos.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ec275b837374f04396c0

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/10/2007 11:57 PM   
Stickbuilder



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Status: offline 		Lemme see.....On Saturday it was 82 degrees here in central Florida. Sunday it was a little warmer but not much. It got up to 83. I guess that's cool enough to worry about fuel turning to jelly or something. We did have a little e=wind though, about 5 MPH, and straight down the runway. It's a tough life, but someone has to do it. The temperature really dropped yesterday, the high was only 64, so we were all wearing coats. I even thought about digging out my long johns.

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RE: How cold is too cold to fly? - 1/11/2007 12:28 AM   
Rcpilot


 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: CGRetired

No sweat. Just don't run out of patients if it won't start right away. 50 degrees is not like 70 degrees. It wil take a few moments to warm up enough to start. Just use a good glow driver and turn it with an electric starter. As I said, it may take a few revolutions (maybe 20 or 30 seconds) of constant turning, but give it a go. Do it twice or three times till it starts. After it does start, it will be much easier to start once it runs out of fuel or you shut it down momentarily. Just make darned sure you run it very rich on the first couple of tank fulls no matter what the temperature is. Rich enough for the engine to pump out blue smoke and spit oil, and go from a smooth two stroke sound to a rough four cycle sound. Run it at a constant full throttle with a very rich mixture, for about 30 seconds, then back off for about 10 seconds, then back to full throttle. In the second tank, after about a half tank has burned away, lean out the mixture at full throttle till it stops four-stroke sound, run it for about 10 seconds, then back to rich for about 30 seconds, then repeat. This will give you the best results and will break it in.


This method of breaking in a new engine is completely contrary to all conventional methods of break in. Running a new ABC, ABN engine 4-stroking rich during break in is going to do more damage than good.

Read this:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_1850473/tm.htm

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THATS how you break in a new ABC engine.

NOT 4-stroking rich for 1.5 tanks. Thats the absolute worse thing you can DO. If your gonna start it up and 4-stroke it all stupid rich--you may as well pull it out of the box and hit it with a sledeghammer. Save yourself the trip to the field--same end result--ruined engine.



< Message edited by Rcpilet -- 1/11/2007 12:31 AM >

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