The snow would most likely melt over the fuel tanks (if it's a wet
skinned tank) then flow aft and freeze again. I don't remember ever
having the problem, but the only time our Mooney saw the inside of a
heated hanger was when it needed to have snow and ice melted from it.
At least once I climbed aboard after it was hanger heat soaked then
took off in fairly light snow (vis at least a half mile.) I wasn't
smart enough to worry about snow melting and refreezing -- my concern
was braking, or lack of it! It couldn't have been too bad though, the
airplane didn't move during run up.

I think even with warm fuel tanks, the convective cooling would pretty
quickly get the wing surfaces cool enough to keep the white stuff
solid.





On Dec 10, 5:28 pm, "Danny Dot" wrote:
"Peter R." wrote in ...

A question for those of you more adept at chemistry/physics than I: How
fast does the aluminum skin of the standard single engine GA aircraft take
to cool to surrounding air temperatures? For example, how long would it
take for the skin to cool from a heated hangar at 65 degrees F to outside
air at 20 degrees F?

This is my first winter where my airplane sits at my destination airport
(Buffalo, NY) all week in a heated hangar. The problem I just inherited
is that if I desire to depart during a lake effect snowfall event, falling
snow could melt on the wings and fuselage and then turn to ice.

--You might be better off to taxi out with 20 degree wings that will not have
the snow melt and attach.

Danny



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