Is it to cold to fly?
 

I've been itch'n to fly but the temps have been in the 20's and 30's, is this going to make my planes to brittle to fly? And will I rip the wings off doing simple manuvers? There are also snow patches on the field that are hard and crusty that could be interesting on take off and landing. But I have the urge to go for it. Any thoughts?

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

put skis or floats on and get out there!!

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

Get yourself some cheap Dubro plastic skis, a bottle of lighter fluid (naptha) to help get the engine started, and go fly! Planes love the cold. Propellers and wings work better in cold dense air.

Keeping your fingers warm is another story. Once my fingers get cold and numb I can't fly well, and I can't control the sticks well through gloves.

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

flights are limited by feeling in fingers...not fuel in the tank![sm=sunsmiley.gif]

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

Try a thin pair of gloves. They are good for a 10 minute flight. I use the cheap brown cloth work gloves from Lowe's.

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

January 1, 2004, Minneapolis, MN. A really warm day at 18 F. Yep, that is a flying snow shovel....

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

Hello; I would say "go for it", we fly year round here, and don't let a little cold weather stop the fun. A pair of those hunter's gloves will keep you warm enough while flying and you can cover your trigger fingers between flights. Some fellows bring a thermos of hot tea (I think) for the constitution. The o,ly thing that keeps us down is fog.

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

We used to have a fun-fly on Jan. 1 each year. We called it, "The Frozen Fingers Fun Fly".

As mentioned--keeping the fingers warm is the biggest problem. If your tuning an engine--your fingers can get really cold. Tune the engine and then shut it down. Warm your fingers for 10 minutes first. Then start the engine up again and go fly.

If you fingers get too cold and ya can't feel the sticks--yell out for a buddy with warm thumbs to come and help with the landing. No pride lost. Better than trying to land a plane when your fingers feel like lumps of ice.;)

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

Hands get cold? Try [link=http://rcmitt.com/happy.html]this![/link]

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

I would definitely suggest the skis, though. Wheels can go right through the snow, and cause the landing gear to be ripped out. Not only do props and wings like cold air, your engine will LOVE the cold air. You'll notice an increase in power from the dense air that is entering the carb. This will require a richening of the needle valve, though, which means slight shorter flight times. Cold is easy. Cold and windy, that's when I have to draw the line. But, then again, I'm from Texas, so I'm not so used to the cold as those guys up North!

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

Academy Sports sell these little pouches. You play with them a little and they get warm and stay warm for a few hours. Stick them in your gloves.
Wear way more clothes than you think you need. Its tough keeping the blood and the feeling in your hands. Your body will reduce the flow of blood to your hands in order to keep your core temperature and your brain warm. The hands have a low priority. So you must dress very very warmly so the body won't shut down the blood flow to the hands. Also try Colman pocket warmers. They will stay warm for hours and hours.
If you get tired of that, do what I did. Move to Houston.:D

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

I have found that the cheap little "one size fits all" gloves are great for when you are flying. They keep your hands warm enough that you can make it through a flight without the "My fingers are going to fall off" feelings that you can get flying bear handed. Since these gloves are thin they give you a good feel on the sticks so you can control the plane. You do need a pair of heavier gloves to warm up with in between flights.

We have a Weber Charcoal grill that we build a wood fire in to help warm up with.

Cold weather is no reason not to fly.

Ron

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

Ok I'm convinced, seem's the hands are more fragile than the planes. Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm going for it.

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

Keep your glow driver battery in a warm pocket or car. Cold ground will kill a charge in no time. Ask me how I learned that.

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

You realy can't enjoy the sport untill it's around 20 degrees or colder, and you get slaped on the finger with a prop, no feeling after that for the rest of the day, don't worry about cold, engines run great on regular gasioline, when it's that cold, I mix 10% model fuel, 90% gasoline, little oil if you got it, lean out your engine about 1/2 turn, expect 50% longer
flight times, only works when it's realy cold..

RE: Is it to cold to fly?
 

Well, I've flown airplanes at -40 degrees, (Yes, minus 40) so there's no problem at twenty. Of course we did it as a challenge to ourselves and I wouldn't recommend it as really fun. One thing I would suggest is a chemical heating pack on the electronics and battery when it is cold. There's nothing like watching snow crystals flowing off your skis and sparkling like diamonds against a bright blue sky. You gotta luv that! So dress warm and have fun.