Training and Safety Tip: Warm up to winter flying
The days are short, the sun is low on the horizon, and you’re heading to the airport early to allow a little more time for preflight preparations because winter is here.
Colder temperatures can be a blessing in disguise, improving visibility and engine performance—once you get it warmed up.
Dress for success
It’s gonna be cold on the apron, and if there’s wind blowing, it will feel colder still on your body because of the wind chill. So, you need to dress to keep warm. Layers are best, allowing you to shed them as the cabin heats up in flight. For preflight, gloves are critical to protect your fingers from cold surfaces, but so are warm ear-covering knit hats and neck scarves.
Setting up for a smooth start
Just as pilots and other living things suffer from the cold, your training airplane’s engine loses lubrication when started with frigid, gummy oil—and metal grinds on metal. Be sure to review the cold weather starting procedures in the pilot’s operating handbook. Also, expect that—except in the most southern of flight training centers—preheating the engine will be required before starting the engine, even for airplanes in a hangar (unless the hangar is heated). Cold engines don’t turn over easily, and cold-soaked batteries can power fewer attempts, but the real risk is engine damage. Experts say that a single cold start imparts as much wear on a piston engine in the first minute of operation as 500 hours in normal cruise does!
Time for an oil change
Speaking of the engine, as the days get shorter, be sure to pay attention to what oil is in the airplane’s sump. In many parts of the country, single-weight oil is used in the summer because it’s more cost-effective and tends to leak less. But as temperatures drop, single-weight oils become thick and sluggish, which increases both starting difficulty and engine wear. Hence, during winter, switch to multi-weight oils that stay liquid, perform better in cold temps, reduce engine wear, and make starting easier.
The return on the extra time invested in warming up the airplane—and keeping yourself warm—is improved aircraft performance—more horsepower and a little more lift from the dense, cold air, which can be breathtakingly clear on a cold day. So, bundle up, warm up that airplane, and get out there!
