jeffie8696

So anybody got experience with running glow engines in below freezing temps?
I recently picked up some Powermaster 15% nitro with low viscosity full synthetic lube at 23%.
I tested it in my Great Planes Escapade 60 with an OS65LA in cool but not freezing temps sunday with good results. The oil left on the plane seems to be of normal thickness and the engine required only a small adjustment to fun fine on it. I noticed it transitioned from low speed very well, perhaps even better than usual.

blw

My Feedback: (3)

I don't know myself, but we're going to find out down here tomorrow. I want to run some engines anyway with just regular old 15% Omega with extra castor added.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

When it is below freezing, I prime them with gasoline or lighter fluid.

a70eliminator

I fly with skis off the frozen lake here in my backyard with nothing special in fuel, prop bite with cold frozen fingers is brutal to say the least.

1QwkSport2.5r

I run the same fuel summer or winter. Electric starter and a fresh charged glow driver works fine to fire off a cold engine.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

No special fuel for me. I have used a lighter to warm the head a little bit before trying to start it.

david

JPMacG

My Feedback: (2)

A few drops of lighter fluid (naptha) in the carb to help it start. Maybe a glow panel instead of a NiCd starter - the NiCd stick is a little weak for winter starting. No special fuel.

jeffie8696

I have seen the others in my club have trouble getting started in the winter, hopefully my new fuel choice and a good hot glow driver will be OK. Thanks.

1QwkSport2.5r

It will help greatly if the fuel is warm, and if you have a hair dryer or heat gun to warm the engine a little. Those two things can make a huge difference.

Rudolph Hart

Spot on qwk the hairdryer is good on cold engines and wives..when you borrow it without asking.JP a few drops of jacks to warm the pilot up too works

loopdeeloop

My Feedback: (4)

Our club has a frozen finger fly each January 1 when temps are typucally well below zero. Heating the engine with a hair dryer and using regular 10 - 15% fuel is the norm for us.

1QwkSport2.5r

I learned very early on.... If I borrow her fabric scissors (quilters have the sharpest scissors in the world I think) to cut fiberglass cloth without asking, holy cow. Bad news. She is quite protective of her $70 scissors. She gave me her old crappy hair dryer because she wanted a new one anyway... Now to get a crockpot out of her. Haha.

I'm not a Jack fan, but I'd happily take a swig of Crown though.

hairy46

My Feedback: (1)

Wyoming is cold, but I fly Cool power 15% year round, we always fly New years day to start the year off right!

Corsair2013

My Feedback: (2)

+++ on the Crown

jeffie8696

We have the Chili Fly on new years day, we all bring Chili or something and try to fly in below freezing weather with usually very high winds.
And personally I like Old Crow, I must be weird or cheap or something

raptureboy

Wild Turkey 101 warm all the way down I fly gas and electric so no problem getting started.

earlwb

I forget now as to at what temperature the glow fuel starts to settle out the components, but it is usually way too cold for me at those temperatures anyway. I think it was someone up in Canada someplace who noticed it with the fuel. But I agree with the others in using a hair dryer to heat up the engine some and keeping the fuel warmer helps a lot. I used to use a transmitter mitten cover in the cold, that actually works pretty good, especially if there is some wind. I think they still make and sell the TX mitten covers, but they are easy enough to make though. If it is really cold, you may need to keep your batteries warm and put them in before you get ready to fly too.

1QwkSport2.5r

It got down to +11*F the other night, and it just happened that I left my jug of fuel in the truck that is 20% all castor. It sounded "thick" but nothing settled out. If anyone can fly at that temp or colder, holy moly you're a dedicated modeler!

JPMacG

My Feedback: (2)

Get yourself some old Jon E catalytic hand warmers. One for each pocket. I've heard they will run on glow fuel if you run out of lighter fluid. They might run on the Jack / Old Crow / Crown also.

jeffie8696

We do have a heated clubhouse but I frown on starting glow engines in there, as some members have done in the past.

larry@coyotenet

My Feedback: (21)

We flew at -13 one time, used a propane torch to heat the engine before hand starting. Wacked my finger once trying to start an engine in subzero weather, thought my finger broke off!
We also would warm the engine in the exhaust of a car.
Larry

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

If it's cold enough, and your fuel has a lot of castor oil, the exhaust residue can actually freeze to the side of the model. We once had a plane crash because castor oil froze in the elevator hinge line and, surprise!, no control.

jeffie8696

We have electricity run to the pits so I am thinking a heat gun is in order.

EyeflyRC

My Feedback: (147)

I like to hand prop my engines with a chicken stick. On cold mornings I remove the glow plug and place a few drops of fuel into the cylinder. Engine starts with a flip or two that way. This technique would make electric starting easier as well. It is important to keep the fuel warm, especially if it has a heavy dose of castor oil which makes the fuel more viscous and requires the needle valve to be richened in the cold..

flybyjohn

My Feedback: (2)

I have flown in sub freezing weather quite a bit and don't recall having to change the mixture much if any from the fall setting. You don't want to be adjusting the needle in the cold or your fingers will be too cold to fly after you get it tuned. I usually use 10 - 15 % in my 46 engines and it works just fine. I do recall that it takes quite a prime to get it to kick over in the cold. Sometimes I think I have flooded it but it actually needed more fuel to start. You will find the lift in the cold weather is quite noticeable.

Oh, another thing is be very carefull of any plastic coverings. They get very brittle and will shatter if something drops on it. I even had my wing covering pop a hole it it from my finger hitting it too hard. If you wear glasses, be prepared to look around them if they fog up. Land before your fingers are too cold and become numb, your fingers become dumb when the get numb.

Below 0 deg F is about the limit for me. I have done it once and it is just too cold to even enjoy flying when it gets that cold. However on a very calm cold day, it is sometimes just too enticing to not go out for one quick round.