On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 22:02:10 -0800, "BTIZ"
wrote:

Dan, when I was flying those Cubs at your place.. I was taught that in
winter it is best to keep some power up.. letting it idle would cool those
cylinders and the spark could go out.. but a J-3 should never fly a pattern
outside of power off glide anyway. I've seen the spark go out when idling on
the ground in cold weather.

When 80 octane became impossible to get, the airport got STCs for the
Cubs and brought in mogas from a supplier in Maine (no MBTE or
alcohol). By coincidence or not, we experienced a rash of engine
quitting in cold weather. Generally of course this was on the ground,
but even that can be awkward if it's at another airport--nobody wants
to be involved with propping a Cub any longer. But it happened to an
instructor while doing stall training with a student, very bad. (He
started the engine again by diving the Cub.)

So the rule came in: we can't rent the planes unless the thermometer
is over 20 degrees. (They also pulled the STCs and placarded the Cubs
for 100LL only. There's one school of thought that holds that this was
less because of engines quitting than because one instructor didn't
like the smell of mogas.)

Anyhow, it's very unlikely that an engine will quit in the pattern,
until you flare. That's my conclusion from that winter's flying. (That
is: quit because it's at idle and not at 1500 rpm.)



-- all the best, Dan Ford

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