If it gets to be a bother for me I will automate them with
some sort of servo. Maybe a couple somethings out of an old VW engine.

Paul Lamar

Your going to eliminate the thermostats to reduce failure modes and then
use a servo controlled cowl flap???   :-)
  How is a servo controlled cowl flap going to be less failure prone than a
thermostat? Is there any sort of failure history with the thermostat that
is built into the factory RX7 oil cooler?
  I dont see why you think thermostats and cowl flaps have to be mutually
exclusive? Why not leave the thermostat and go ahead and use the cowl flap too?

Mike Wills

No Mike I am going to remove the thermostat to cut the drag and then have a
manual over ride for the flaps :-) A lot easier than a manual over ride for
a stuck thermostat :-) Avgas is approaching $3 a gallon and probably will
go higher. Auto fuel is approaching $2 a gallon. More speed on a given
HP is more miles per gallon. The "servo" I mentioned is a simple bi-metallic strip
as I recall. Bill freeman can fill us in on those old VW cooling thermostats.

Yes that will work but what happens if the thermostat fails?

As I said I will only automate it if it becomes a bother. It is no bother
for me now on the C182 to manually operate the cowl flaps. Just another
thing to set in a complex airplane. I have to set the prop pitch even though
it is supposed to be a constant speed prop. If you have retractable gear
you need to lower that before you land. 

Incidentally Piper had automatic retractable landing 
gear for awhile but then they made everybody disable it because it failed 
once in a while. Obviously they did not want the responsibility.
It then became 100% pilot error :-)

Paul Lamar
 
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