Papa3 wrote:
and I would really like to avoid the cold feet.
Depends on how much you want to spend and your appetite for gadgets:
- Low Tech: Go to eBay and search for Moon Boots. We all wore
these at Blairstown in the 1980s for winter ridge flying. Goofy
looking as sin, but warm and cozy. The thick soles keep the bottoms
of your feet from losing heat to the metal rudder pedals, and the soft
insulation on rest of the foot keeps them all toasty.
Be sure they fit into the glider without interference. I couldn't make
them work in my glider.
- Medium Tech: Get some good Sorrel or Columbia or other winter
boots
Same problem with insulated boots - too big to fit, and some seemed kind
of stiff. Very dependent on your foot size and specific glider!
and stick some of the chemical boot warmers sold at hunting and
ski stores. Heat Treat Toe Warmers for instance: http://www.rei.com/product/405012
I found this kind of thing worked OK at 18,000' in mittens, but not in
boots. They require oxygen to work, and I don't think enough air could
get to them inside a boot at high altitudes.
- Hi Tech: Adapt any good motorcycle boot warmers and wire into a
separate battery. I made up a set for myself, but I honestly found
that I don't use them much as I don't REALLY enjoy long flights in the
winter, and either of the first two methods are good enough. These
require a little more fiddling to get everything set up right.
http://www.gerbing.com/Products/socks.html
The best solution I found was a set of cheap snowmobile style coveralls
from Sportsmans Guide (cheap ones are softer and lighter - more
comfortable in a glider) and three pairs of socks on my feet: one
regular "street" pair and two pair of insulating thick ski socks, inside
the cheapest Walmart trainers I could find (I like the ones with velcro
closures). Of course, the shoes were a couple sizes bigger than my
normal size, but they still fit into the glider. I had to remove the
insole to make enough room for the socks.
The coveralls were the key, however, as I needed my torso and legs warm
enough to get some blood to my feet. The snowsuit (WX2-102777 Guide
GearŪ 1 - Pc. Snowsuit, Black / Red) is about $50.
--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes"
http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at
www.motorglider.org