Rob Housman wrote:
> Perhaps I misunderstand what is being offered, but the
> word exhaust suggests to me that this device would be
> a heater muff added to the Rotax exhaust plumbing. If
> so, why add the weight and risk of a carbon monoxide
> sucking muff when there is already ample warm (hot?)
> air available aft of the water and oil coolers?
> What the Europa factory forgot was the necessary
> ducting to get warmed air into the cockpit. Anyone
> interested can contact me off list for the details of
> how I ducted warm air from aft of the two coolers,
> unheated air from the 914 turbo air inlet, and mixed
> (or not, as desired) the two prior to being ducted into
> the cockpit.
Here in the UK any cabin air must be sourced from outside
the cowling. Without any chance of under-cowling air
getting in there.
The rationale is that if there is an engine fire then any
under-cowling air pick-up will pick up smoke and flames
and these are undesirable inside the cockpit.
Any heater/demist using an exhaust muff must have the muff
fed from outside the cowling and then led through the
firewall. And then the CAA/PFA will want some type of
integrity test or a solid blanking off plate on the
firewall also.
The "warm air aft of the water & oil coolers" route would
also have a problem if either radiator split and hot oil
or water was streamed up your duct into the cockpit.
A long shot but that's the way the CAA looks at things and
it costs us dear :-(
In the Land of the Free you are free to risk whatever you
like as YOU have to sit in it. The CAA would like anyone
who sits in the plane to be guaranteed safety :-) Ha ha !
Just my two-penny worth.
Richard
G-OWWW
High Cross
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