I have a lot of trouble imagining that a 1% methane concentration will stop
an engine. I use a propane torch (unlit) to start balky engines. If you
direct a stream of propane into the carburetor of an engine, it will run
fine. Running an engine 1% richer doesn't seem like a big deal.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

I don't have to like Bush and Cheney (Or Kerry, for that matter) to love
America

"G. Burkhart" wrote in message
news:w%Cnc.59722$0H1.5953725@attbi_s54...
"Martin" wrote in message
om...
Saw just a real short clip of something on the Disc channel tonight
about how methane clouds affect aircraft. Lower pressure causes the
plane to drop because of reduced lift, and the altimeter to read a
climb because of the pressure change. I think this show may have been
in the context of bermuda triangle stuff. Maybe Im just out of the
loop but I had never heard of this happening (flying into a cloud of
methane I mean). They seemed to have some pretty reputable people
talking about it. Anyone experience this or hear of it?

I watched that Discovery episode last week and they went into detail about
the theory that methane gas bubbles could sink ships and tested the theory
in a lab with model ships and air bubbles.

There was also a theory that flying through a methane gas cloud would
effect
flight; one that a piston engine would quit if there was 1% methane in the
air and another that a simulator flight into such a cloud would cause
reduced lift because of less dense air and the altimeter would climb
rapidly
even though the aircraft was dropping.

http://media.dsc.discovery.com/news/...0/methane.html