Stupid Question

[Cobra Commander]

This is probably a stupid question, but it poped into my head while I was flying this morning. Since I fly in AZ, and it's hotter than hell out here during the summer it got me wondering whether or not military training aircraft have air conditioning. None of the planes I fly in do which can make for a very uncomfortable experience when it's hot (almost always). I imagine that being somewhere humid would make this even worse. The swamp a$$ must be horrible.
This certainly wouldn't stop me from flying but I'm very curious.

Also... Does anyone know why you need to practicaly remove the engine from a Bonanza to replace the air conditioner belt?(thats what I've been told)

 

[ChunksJR]

This is probably a stupid question, but it poped into my head while I was flying this morning. Since I fly in AZ, and it's hotter than hell out here during the summer it got me wondering whether or not military training aircraft have air conditioning. None of the planes I fly in do which can make for a very uncomfortable experience when it's hot (almost always). I imagine that being somewhere humid would make this even worse. The swamp a$$ must be horrible.
This certainly wouldn't stop me from flying but I'm very curious.

It's actually a good question. The aircraft I flew in did. It actually "worked" on various levels.

T-34 - yes, but didn't work that well. From what I remember, the greenhouse effect of the plexiglass greatly outpaced the cooling effect of the AC.

TH-57 - yes, and works well to blow AC right in your face...but the rest of you sweats pretty hard. I'd say you are "comfortable" anyway...

MH-60S - yes, and worked well to keep the back of you neck cool...but not much else...Occasionally the humidity would be so high, and the AC so strong, you'd go IMC in the cockpit because of the "misting" from the vents. The main purpose of it was to cool the plethora of avionics located behind the cabin.

 

[Fmr1833]

T-6, T-1, and T-39 all do. Cold as crap in the back of the T-39.

 

[pilot_man]

The Hornet also has A/C, unless you are having ECS problems (Environmental Control System). Then you get angry and curse a lot. It is not much fun fighting and max performing when you are sweating your tail off.

 

[zippy]

Like the 34, the 44's is hit or miss. General rule is the higher you go, the cooler it gets- although sometimes the bleed air from the engines overpower the ac and roast you in the 44 when you fly around pressurized.

 

[pdx]

T-34 wasn't too bad. I used to think the a/c was pretty crappy. Then I flew without it one day in august, which SUCKED. The a/c might not be as good as your car, but it makes a huge difference.

Since then, I heard quite a few instructors say they would down the plane and get a new one if the a/c didn't work.

 

[NavyLonghorn]

Like the 34, the 44's is hit or miss. General rule is the higher you go, the cooler it gets- although sometimes the bleed air from the engines overpower the ac and roast you in the 44 when you fly around pressurized.

The C-12 is niiiiiice and chilly. Add that to the list of benefits .

 

[TheBubba]

A/C in the T-6 is awesome... only problem is you gotta get the engine spun up first... after you close the canopy... and you're sweating your a$$ of...

 

[zippy]

Unofficial rule of flight school- "you're grades are directly proportional to the speed you get to the airconditioner switch in the checklist..."

 

[NavyLonghorn]

Unofficial rule of flight school- "you're grades are directly proportional to the speed you get to the airconditioner switch in the checklist..."

Lol. The C-12 instructors defenily never waited. Second that first engine spinned up.. AC on.

 

[webmaster]

Unofficial rule of flight school- "you're grades are directly proportional to the speed you get to the airconditioner switch in the checklist..."

There is SO much truth in that statement, especially in T44s!! That damn plane is an OVEN during summer, and waiting to get the cooling on after engine start... if you didn't bring a towel to wipe the sweat off your face, or if you didnt bring a lot of ice cold H2O, you were a fool...

Navyvance, nice comeback....

 

[nittany03]

Unofficial rule of flight school- "you're grades are directly proportional to the speed you get to the airconditioner switch in the checklist..."

So true. Trouble is, the Goshawk A/C is like TheBubba described the T-6's. Doesn't really work well until you get the engine above 65% N2 or so. Lots of IPs will have you run up the engine a little if nothing's behind you and you're waiting on the ground to get some airflow through the system.

Also, when you bring the throttle off the idle stop with the A/C on full cold, you'll often get pegged in the face with chunks of ice. And there's a disturbing tendency to go IFR in the cockpit on humid days while on low levels or in the pattern. Sometimes cured by bumping temps up and/or killing the ECS and going to ram air, but on humid days this will just make your HUD fog up.

 

[TheBubba]

nittany,

do y'all have to have the canopy closed during engine start and taxi?

 

[phrogdriver]

CH-46: No A/C--you open the little window (looks like the tiny hinged window in a VW micro bus) and stick your hand out to angle the air into the cockpit as you fly.

V-22: great a/c. It will actually generate snow if it's on high on a humid day.

 

[goplay234]

T-34 used to actually kick condensation up at me. Nothing like a splash of HOT water in the face while you're trying to compute fuels. The E-2, yeah, it's friggin hot back there. The pilots always complain that it's too cold...F-that. It's especially bad when you are manning up and sitting in a metal tube with no windows. You pretty much just want to die. Then again, three dudes in the back and one with a gas problem makes it a pretty uncomfortable ride in the first place.