Raimo Toivio a crit :
> Hello Roland
>
> I stated couple of years ago a water thermostat is a must and cars
> have proved it is something you can really trust.
> Some of The Europa List-users claimed I am an idiot because adding
> that "complex" item it makes flying too risky (!).
> So far I have used it 340 hrs /6 years in my Europa and over 1 million
> kilometers /34 years in my cars w/o problems.
> There is no known thermostat problems.
> In the case of jamming, it will jamm open.
>
> As you wrote, a thermostat is automatic - not manual. That is clever.
> In the other hand, some of us like "many manual levers and knobs to
> move in and out, upp or down and so".
> Maybe that is because those pilots would like to be in their dreams a
> captain of multi-engine-machine and have at least 8 throttle /mixture
> /prop levers and so to get influence with that girl sitting on the P2
> seat.
Raimo,
Nothing idiot in a water thermostat. The point is, it only takes care of
water temperatures, and not of cooling *drag*.
With a thermostat, you need to flow lots of air through the radiator,
and only act on the water.
Radiator drag doesn't matter much in a slow vehicle such as a car or an
old fashion already draggy airplane. But in a sleek airplane, always
having maximum radiator drag regardless of flight conditions may amount
to some precious knots or vertical feet per minute or climb out performance.
Bottom line, it is up to the builder.
BTW for the sake of lightness and simplicity, the most important lever
to get rid of in a less than 200 mph airplane is the gear lever ;-)
Below those speed, nothing to be gained with a retracting gear as
opposed to a correctly streamlined fixed gear.
Best regards,
--
Gilles
http://contrails.free.fr
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