Hey guys just an update.... The canopy is coming together, at least the front canopy...
Still working on the Rear.  I was thinking the other day about cooling, has anyone ever
tried using the fuel tank as a heat sink for an Oil/Fuel cooler?  Wonder how that would
trade at the airplane level for drag count.

Mike C.

Cool Mike.
Looks like the wings are over there on the left.
With a P-port that will be one speedy airplane.

What happens when you get low on fuel?

Paul Lamar


I have no firsthand experience, but using the fuel tank as a heat sink doesn't sound too promising on the face of it.
  -- Plumbing complexity:  You're either going to have fuel lines in water or water lines in your fuel tank, and either one can spell trouble.
  -- Heating the fuel in a full tank can cause loss overboard when the tanks are full.
  -- The heat eventually has to go somewhere.  Maybe not a big problem with metal fuel tanks exposed to the outside air, probably a bigger concern with foam tanks.
  -- How will higher temp/less dense fuel affect engine efficiency/volumetric efficiency?
 -- As Paul questioned--what happens when you have to do a go-around with just a few gallons aboard?
 -- Increased potential for vapor lock from warmer fuel?

I'm pretty sure the downside outweighs the upside of this idea.

Mark W.

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