How hot is your cockpit?

[Typhoon1244]

Our new CRJ's, ones that have less than a year of flying on them, cool very well. Sometimes, even though it's 95 degrees outside, you have to turn the cockpit thermostat up to be comfortable.

On the other hand, our older jets (and when I say older, I'm talking about 98-99 vintage) are getting downright uncomfortable...no, uncomfortable's not a strong enough word. "Inhuman" might be better. Yesterday, N835AS's cockpit vents were putting out no air at all...just a piddly little gasp from the "eyeball" vents on the side panels. It was like working in a sauna. When my F/O shut off the packs to start the engines, I was about ready to pour my water over my head to cool off.

And I know why this happens: pilot comfort is not a priority for our mechanics when C-check time rolls around.

Is this problem unique to my little corner of the Delta Connection, or do the rest of you have the same problem with your fleets?

 

[WrightAvia]

If you don't like the airconditioning at your job, you come out by us and crane your neck and sweat for hours on end while looking at the foot ball sized chunk of crystaline beauty growing on the brake calipers when flying in moderate icing at and below the flight levels in the great lakes winter time.

 

[PropTrash]

The Dash-8, especially the older -100 series is VERY toasty during the summer... darn near dangerous on some days. This is due to the cardboard (REALLY!) ducting used for the environmental system. A little condensation, the ducts get wet and SUCK... They close right up.

The ATR was hot too... especially on the ground with no APU. My airline had the bright idea to pull of the prop brake in the name of fiscal savings. Wouldn't want those passengers too comfortable, would you?

 

[saabtrash]

I just finished a three day, did alot of sweating today...to the tune of two beers=dizzy. I think I'm a bit dehydrated.

 

[SquirrelDog]

You want HOT!

Try sitting in 110F heat in the middle of July waiting for 15 cessnas in front of you to take off and no circulation in the pit except this little d*mn window. Sweat pouring down so fast the avionics start not working.

Even HOTTER! A couple of years ago in that same setting one of our lear pilots (with no window) measured the temp in the shade on white paper in the Lear (again no air circulation)...140F...!!!!

 

[EagleRJ]

The Saab doesn't do too bad, as long as you run the system right. Like in most planes, it's possible for a ham-fisted pilot to freeze the moisture in the air ducts and crack them, resulting in all your cold air leaking out before reaching the vents. The automatic mode is supposed to prevent that, but people do it manually in a quest for the coldest possible air. The planes are best right after they come out of a heavy check, since MX has repaired all the blown ducts.

Our Saabs that have good A/C will cool the cockpit down fine, but only keep things borderline in the cabin. The planes that are screwed up (75% of the fleet) are always playing catch-up. They really don't cool down unless you can get up to a cool altitude and stay there for 90 minutes or so. Needless to say, that's rare!

The ERJ cools off great. It will freeze the crew and the passengers if you turn it down all the way. Sometimes though, they'll dispatch one with just one pack working. It usually gets overloaded and falls off line before you even take off, so then you have a sealed metal tube sitting in the sun, filled with 50 people who are getting angrier by the second!

It all doesn't seem so bad, though, when I see a Cherokee taxi past with the door propped open. That's one part of instruction I don't miss!

 

[NuGuy]

Hiya Typhoon,

Yep, you are seeing a pretty common phenomenon. Most AC cool like gangbusters when new, but as they age, the air cycle machines wear out, and just don't put the air out that they used to. Even if they replace the ACM, most of the rest of the pack is pretty worn out.

This along with cracked and/or disconnected ductwork and there you have it...toast-a-rama.

Best thing to do is write it up and keep writing it up until it's fixed. The Fed's really don't like repetitive write ups, and if they see a whole bunch of the same thing in the logbook with "ops check normal" as the sign-off, it raises a big red flag, even for something like air conditioning.

If you have external AC or an APU, another thing you can do is get a good set of sun shades. You wouldn't believe what a difference that makes. I notice that all of NWAs DC-9s have sunshades as standard equipment now. Make sure the FAs close all of the shades in the cabin, and opens all of the eye vents.

Best,
Nu

 

[Mookie]

Our CRJ's get downright nippy, new and old vintage If someone had told me that I'd be spending hours each day folding blankets during quick turns, I'd have stayed in the Brasilia!!! we average about three calls an hour from the fa asking for more heat in cruise. Every cpt i've flown with has his/her own idea of how to "outthink the temperature control unit...eh", riiiiiigggghhhhht.

It's pretty nice though when it's 115 C in PSP!!!


Mookie

 

[Hugh Jorgan]

I defy anyone to find a hotter cockpit than a T-34 in Corpus Christi in the summer. Wearing a helmet, Survival vest and Parachute adds to the pleasure.

 

[CAP10B]

Hugh,

T-37....Del Rio.....summertime

feel my pain