Weather too hot for flying?

[k-vette]

I've been trying to get some flying in lately but it's really hot during the day. The other day I was out flying around 6-7 pm and it was over 100 degrees. The main problem is that my motors are getting really hot. I took three planes all powered by 400xt and 3s packs and after each flight they got very hot. The airflow over the motor isn't cooling them down. I even propped down on some planes to try and help them. What do I do now?

[Matt Kirsch]

It's a dry heat, right?

100+ outside at dinner time... Unfathomable! Man, I'd be inside, on the 'puter with my RealFlight G3...

Frankly, I don't know if there's much of anything you can do to keep the motors cool when it gets that hot out.

[Splatz]

I do notice my battery temp's are up a little in this hot weather. I wonder what effects humidity has on electrics because it's been very humid here also.
I hope I don't short out my radio from the sweat drippin' off my face!

[firemanbill]

We had windy all spring but at least I could fly in that! It hasn't stopped raining here for a while now. My backyard looks like a lake. If it would stop I could put floats on my beaver and have a blast!

For now I guess I'll have to fly the blade cx in the garage

I guess trying to keep your stuff is dependant on how despearte you are. you could always pack a little dry ice around your electronics. Then you could leave a smoke trail too!

[Grasshopper]

Yes Bill it is wet in your part of the country. I'm traveling in North Carolina this week and it's been raining virtually the entire time I've been here. Plus, I don't have any planes with me any way.

[firemanbill]

Ha! welcome to my world! lol, whereabouts in NC are ya?

[Grasshopper]

I'm in Lexington just southwest of Greensboro. I come here about once a month. I found a great hobby shop in Archdale named KC Hobbies. Lots and lots of airplane stuff and a really helpful staff. Very reasonable prices too.

[firemanbill]

Cool, It's always cool to find the local shops like that. My family comes from the Hickory/Statesville area. about an hour north of Charlotte. I don't get down that way nearly as often as I'd like too.

[redgiki]

I fly from a dry lake bed where the temperatures in the afternoon regularly exceed 110 degrees. It's pretty miserable... during the middle of the summer, I fly early in the morning or late in the evening, pretty much never during the heat of the day.

It really helps to make sure your battery, motor, and ESC are a little over-specced for the application. I wouldn't worry much about brushless motors getting warm; they can handle a LOT more heat than you'd expect. The ESC is a concern, and using a separate BEC (such as a uBEC or ParkBEC) will help keep that temperatured own. If your LiPo batteries are bumping up against 140 degrees, live with the weight penalty and use a bigger battery, a battery rated for higher discharge, or a pair of batteries in parallel.

If it's above 115 degrees (like Las Vegas, or my dry lake bed in August), screw it and fly your internal combustion stuff, your sailplanes, or call it a day!

I recently upgraded to higher-discharge batteries from my old "12C" (really, more like 8C/10C) and the difference in heat is phenomenal. The new ones come down only a little warmer than they went up.

[bsoder]

I'm in central AZ. The guys I fly with on the weekends typically start around 6AM, and the park is pretty much empty by 9 or so. Forget the batts and motors, it's too hot for the pilots.

[watt_the?!]

Originally Posted by bsoder

I'm in central AZ. The guys I fly with on the weekends typically start around 6AM, and the park is pretty much empty by 9 or so. Forget the batts and motors, it's too hot for the pilots.

bingo...anything above 95- heck even 90 and im not there.

we have days here where its above 110 and you'll see guys out there....crazy stuff.

i regularly build in my shed on those days and its around 130 in there (measured with laser temp probe). great for 1 minute epoxy...lol...

but no flying for me....i moved my batts out of the shed last season also as constant 105 for days on end cant be doing them much good me thinks.

[firemanbill]

hmmmm after listening to all you guys maybe tha rain isn't so bad after all

[bsoder]

well, the bit about dry heat is really true, at least to me. the park we've been flying in has had some problems with the sprinkler system, they broke a couple pipes and it's very wet. The humidity there really sucks... it's amazing how much "cooler" 100 degrees feels than 90 degrees with really high "swampy park" humidity.

[redgiki]

Ditto for the dry lake bed where I fly. People start to pack up around 9 AM, and only the die-hards (or the guys flying big IMAC stuff) are left by 11 AM.

Come September or October, though, that place will stay hopping into the afternoon, until the sun begins to set in our westward-facing eyes.

[FinnFlyer]

Originally Posted by Grasshopper

I'm in Lexington just southwest of Greensboro. I come here about once a month. I found a great hobby shop in Archdale named KC Hobbies. Lots and lots of airplane stuff and a really helpful staff. Very reasonable prices too.

My favorite hobby shop.
It is probably the best LHS in the state.
Prices are comparible to online. Even lower a lot of times.
Very knowledgable sales staff, and their inventory is phenominal.
Too bad they are 1hr. away from me, but well worth the drive.

[Bill G]

Originally Posted by k-vette

I've been trying to get some flying in lately but it's really hot during the day. The other day I was out flying around 6-7 pm and it was over 100 degrees. The main problem is that my motors are getting really hot. I took three planes all powered by 400xt and 3s packs and after each flight they got very hot. The airflow over the motor isn't cooling them down. I even propped down on some planes to try and help them. What do I do now?

I don't know where you live, and we don't get 100 deg here often, if ever, but its probably worse here at 73 deg sometimes. Been about that the last few days, with 100% humidity. Typical southwestern PA summer weather.

[k-vette]

Well the good news is that some clouds rolled in and cooled things down a little bit. I think I might be able to fly something without it cooking at least. I'm in Rough and Ready, CA. (Yes, Rough and Ready is the name of the town) We normally don't get too many 100+ days either, but lately the weather is a little whacky. Maybe I just need more lights for night flying.

[watt_the?!]

Originally Posted by k-vette

... I'm in Rough and Ready, CA. (Yes, Rough and Ready is the name of the town) ...

sounds very broke back mountain to me.

at least it's not wolf creek!

[mavdriver]

Originally Posted by redgiki

Ditto for the dry lake bed where I fly. People start to pack up around 9 AM, and only the die-hards (or the guys flying big IMAC stuff) are left by 11 AM.

Come September or October, though, that place will stay hopping into the afternoon, until the sun begins to set in our westward-facing eyes.

What dry lake ? i fly at Rabbid dry lake in Southern Cal. and it gets very hot . Ed

[Rhondas]

hot in ny long island and windy also we havent flown in a month .

[DickCorby]

Originally Posted by watt_the?!

sounds very broke back mountain to me.

at least it's not wolf creek!

Rough and Ready was named during the gold rush. It's near Grass Valley and Nevada City in California. If you know much about the Gold Rush in California, you can imagine how the town got it's name. It was apparntly a real hell raiser of a town, wide open to just about anything. I think that back then anybody with broke back mountain tendancies would soon be in Boot Hill.

Wolf Creek is in the Redwods on the Coast of California. It sprang up as a Logging town, and to some extent is still a logging town. Though Tourism is the big deal in the summer. Loggers also tend to frown on broke back mountain type activity, and them axes are kept sharp.

[lshadow2005]

I fly out here in Sun City AZ. area - Up in the air at daylight nothing cooler than the plane cutting across the sunrise But then the fun is over by 9:00AM as HIGH TEMPS 100+ equals LOW PERFORMANCE. Hot glue starts to melt,shoes stick to the asphalt so then its time to take a nap !!!
Bob

[guyzer1111]

Wind Wind Wind, what about the Wind...

[kensp]

Here in Darwin we have 85+ Degree Fareinhight daytime tempreatures all year round. We are finding that the center cells in 3 cell Lithium battery packs are overheating and failing before the outer cells and this makes the pack useless.

Ken

[Rhondas]

I have seen more planes go down or cartwheel over on windy days Than hot days, but the heat takes the fun out of it,sorta like riding a motor cycle on a very hot day, you dont want to stop so you keep cool.