What I do to prepare my J3 Cub for Winter Flying

I love the winter weather, crystal clear skies, low density altitude and Super Cub Performance out of my J3. Only Issue with winter flying is trying to keep my Oil temperature up. There isnt much you can do but there are a few things to try to help keep your engine running well in the winter months.

[@MemphisBBQ640]

I live in eastern Iowa, and I'm a member of a flying club that has an Aeronca Chief powered by a 65hp Continental. The club doesn't allow flights at temps below 40F. My experience with this airplane is that if I put a hair dryer under the cowling (and keep a close eye on it) for about 20 minutes, the engine starts quite nicely with a single flip of the prop.

[@prodigalpilot]

Agree, this is what I do with my champ in the winter.

[@dzzyfilms]

Dang I’ll try this haha

[@kasm10]

My tip for winter flying is move to Florida

[@Bananasssssssss]

Hahahahhahaah

[@bornwildalaska5031]

I fly my C120 out of PAUO, Alaska. Get a Rieff cylinder heater system. No A&P needed and it works amazing in addition to my oil sump heater. Im regularly flying in -10 F, did my first solo cross country at -30F. Not that your J3 would need it but when it gets below 10F I also run a space heater under the instrument panel to warm everything up, mainly the electrical gyros. Other cold wx tips that have been passed down to me. 1. Lean aggressively upon start up and during taxi prior to run up. 2. Carb heat is your friend 3. I use 3M foil tape on the bottom of the cowling where the breather pokes out, to restrict the outflow and create some more back pressure inside the cowl, nice increase in oil temps during winter ops.

[@Bananasssssssss]

Yeah I definitely need to upgrade my system

[@noahwall4150]

Located in MN, we routinely fly at -10F in January and February. Only thing that we do differently is we have prop blankets as well to prevent the cold from getting to the crankshaft and then cooling the core down.

[@Bananasssssssss]

Never thought about that. I guess Wood probably doesn't transfer as much but still interesting. I also can't complain. Not sure I would leave my house at -10º, lol

[@savage22bolt32]

Wow, that's a novel take on the situation for me. Never even heard of prop blankets. My best bud went to ECATS. He told me on his first day at his first job, the boss sent him to get some prop wash! Kinda like asking your gf to pick up some blinker fluid.

[@Bananasssssssss]

@@savage22bolt32 hahaha the old Blinker fluid trick 😂

[@dougfisher7197]

Good stuff, again, Joe. Fly a Cessna 180 out of Milwaukee -- we get winter. Oil and cylinder preheat installed with Bruce's blanket. I give it at least three hours. Have a Switcheon unit which enables me to turn preheat on from home, or set a time on/off remotely. Really helps. And, generally start preheating when the temps hit 40 or below. Engine just seems to start smoother. Makes me feel good if not the engine. Keep 'em coming.

[@Bananasssssssss]

I really shouldn't complain, I know you guys get quite the brutal winters, lol. You ever throw Ski's on it?

[@Nitrohog2006]

Great tip on the whistle hole in the breather. I froze the breather on my A65 last year skiplane flying and it blew out my tach seal which created an oil leak all the way back to the back of the tachometer.

[@Bananasssssssss]

Thanks!

[@martind181968]

Aircraft and engines love that nice dense cold air, but I reckon it comes at a price in some areas, you do a great job with that Cub !!!! Thanks for the video, very interesting and informative.

[@Bananasssssssss]

Appreciate that!

[@PilotJimmyJ]

I wired a cellular switch that are used for garage door openers to preheat my J-3. The cell service is like $5 a month, and I send it a text to turn the heat on or off.

[@Bananasssssssss]

I need to do that

[@budowens6478]

On my Cessna 172 I have a blanket from aircraft spruce, use a 110 heater with a dryer duct I put under the cowling, after about an hour I’m good to go. I use Phillips XC 20W50, which really helps.

[@Bananasssssssss]

That's what My Hangar neighbors do, works pretty well and less money too!

[@savage22bolt32]

LOL! Sometimes the old tech timer gets confusing! WIFI befuddles me... My excuse: I'm a boomer. Before I retired, I used a 110v space heater in my Jeep. It was on a timer and every morning I had a clean windshield and warm vehicle. My commute was so short though, the closer I got to work, the colder it was inside the Jeep!

[@Bananasssssssss]

😂😂 those times are more confusing than they need to be

[@cameronmolt5649]

I do about the same. Our hangar is not heated, and in the high desert of OR, it can get to -20F.

[@Bananasssssssss]

That temp sounds absolutely brutal, lol

[@rlgbuilders]

I have full Tanis heater on my J3 with a temperature electrical switch set to go on and off at temperature I select. Works like a charm

[@Bananasssssssss]

Was it expensive?

[@rlgbuilders]

@@BananasssssssssI don’t think they are. Came with my J3. Whole engine heats to 40 degrees above ambient. And no chance of condensation since whole engine temp is above the dew point.

[@Bananasssssssss]

@@rlgbuilders nice. Going to look into it. Appreciate it

[@ecdevine]

Using 20W50 in my Cub oil temps are typically 10 degrees below ambient. Phillips has proven to be better than Aeroshell 100W in my airplane; less expensive, too. I don’t have much interest in flying below 40 degrees, and I’ll usually preheat with some blankets and a powerful hair dryer and duct into the bottom of the cowl…at least an hour standing around in a cold hangar with even colder coffee ain’t all that fun! 😂 Doesn’t help that my current commute to the airport is 30+ minutes…

[@MichaelVincent-nz2jd]

I’m curious what an A&P mechanic would say, but low oil temperatures are the result of overactive cooling. The oil is not reaching operating temperature in the first place. All the insulation in the world will only keep what is already there. In your case, I would suspect limiting or baffling the cooling intake air would be the best starting point. I can’t believe there isn’t a “winter” cooling hood option or baffle. Likely an obvious reason I’m missing that this is not the case.

[@Bananasssssssss]

Good questions, maybe someone can chime in

[@shayefowler6651]

Fortunately, we don’t get extreme cold temps here in Texas like you guys do. If we do, (below freezing), it might last for a week or two. Did you purchase the oil tank blanket and intake tube covers from Spruce?? Cool video and great ideas Joe!! Thanks 🤙🏼

[@Bananasssssssss]

Thanks Shaye! And yeah, I think was around $100-ish

[@jeffboatright]

Has shock cooling ever been proven to exist, and if so, actually cause problems? I certainly was taught that the answers are "yes" and "yes," but I'm not so sure. The "Ask the A&Ps" podcasters lean towards it not being a real thing. If it does exist, I would assume that flight schools in northern states would have very different maintenance challenges than flight schools in southern states. Do they? I don't know. ETA: Thanks for another great video!

[@sablestryker]

Towing gliders you usually cut power and dive back to the strip and I was always told not to pull the power rapidly in the winter to avoid shock cooling. Would love to know more about if it’s a real risk.

[@Bananasssssssss]

Good question to be honest, I remember reading and article a while ago about a flight school that taught all power off 180ºs for landings and they would need overhauls way before TBO, they switched to slowly reducing power and keeping it until after landing and the engines lasted longer. I wish I could find the article and it may be anecdotal but still interesting. I think there is a risk to glazing over the electrodes on the plug? SO many different articles, hard to remember them all

[@MegaRickw]

another good one,trying to catch up on all your vids since I found your channel,lol

[@Bananasssssssss]

haha, thanks!

[@MegaRickw]

still want to get up with you,don't want to put my phone number here@@Bananasssssssss

[@arkpu]

Another solution is to move inside a heated hangar for the winter ♨️

[@Bananasssssssss]

Believe me, The wife may kick me out and I won't have a choice, lol hahah

[@hillcrestannie]

I use a electric space heater with a dryer hose too direct heat to engine. Pretty much leave it on all winter. Why does it hurt for your oil temp to be at 110 ? In Texas in the summer it’s more than that sitting in the hangar.

[@captbart3185]

I would have said the J-3 heater is imaginary. For the winter good warm clothes (think open cockpit based on how “airtight” is the Cub) but avoid synthetic clothing as it melts in high heat and has caused fatalities in otherwise survivable accidents. I’m an old accident investigator who never flies in synthetic clothes for a reason.

[@Bananasssssssss]

Thanks for that, never really thought about that before.

[@reecewallace]

Is an STC required for the heating pad addition? Would love to put one on my 170

[@Bananasssssssss]

Nope! No logbook entry or anything!

[@alexc5449]

Do you start it with the carb heat on? The flight school I fly out of will put the Cub on skis during the winter which is pretty cool.

[@Bananasssssssss]

When it's really really Cold yeah

[@prodigalpilot]

But how do you winterize yourself in that drafty cabin? 😀

[@Bananasssssssss]

Cant be done 😂😂😂

[@wagonwrangler]

If I'm flying for more than :30, I'll bring a roll of painter's tape and tape up the drafty door. (I usually already have the left side window gaps taped all winter). It makes a big difference. If you can see daylight, tape it!

[@prodigalpilot]

@@wagonwrangler I do the same on the champ!

[@eduardof.8117]

Vocês moram na Terra???