Perhaps born of Yankee ingenuity is a preheating option available in the flying club to which I belong. Years ago, some inventive soul removed the blades from a secondhand lawnmower, installed a sheet-metal cover under it, and attached a flexible hose to its discharge chute so that its main product became hot air. Even though it is the old pull-cord type, since there is no blade there is little inertia to overcome, and it's very easy to start. We simply direct the flexible hose upwards toward the engine by the nosewheel well, using any number of convenient points for attaching it via a hook installed at its business end. We are careful not to direct heated air directly onto fuel, oil, or hydraulic lines! Twenty minutes later: a warm engine. Lacking such inspiration, however, the accumulated expense of paying your FBO to send a lineman out with a preheater is still likely less than that of an engine overhaul.
Jeff Pardo is an aviation writer in Maryland with a commercial private pilot certificate for airplanes, and instrument, helicopter, and glider ratings. He has logged about 1,100 hours in 12 years of flying. An AirLifeLine mission pilot, Pardo has also flown for the Civil Air Patrol. Click link for full article.
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