SonexBuilders.net

OK ... might seems a little silly to ask this but:

Yesterday I took the motorcycle to the airport so that Myunn & I could take a ride around the local area. Somewhere during preflight I realized that the large "battle ops" boots that I wear to ride the motorcycle might not be the best for flying a tailwheel airplane. The easy answer was to take them off and toss them in the cargo hold behind the seat.

Didn't take long to realize that in only my sock feet that the aluminum floorboard gets quite warm when in flight. I do have a Corvair and the exhaust is set up a bit different but I was wondering if anyone else has ever come across this. No ... it's not a big deal (first world problem as they say) but I will have to keep a pair of "flying shoes" in the plane now. 8~)

I thought about a thin sheet of lauan plywood or perhaps some carpet on the floorboard but wearing shoes seems easy enough.

Dale
"Myunn"
3.0 Corvair/Tailwheel

Paging Mike Smith... could be the answer to your Aerovee heater woes.

Hi Dale, I've never flown my Sonex without shoes to notice any heat on the floor but since day one there has been a small section of outdoor carpeting where one's heels rest. The carpeting came in a 1' × 1' square as I recall and had a self-stick backing so no glue is necessary. It's been cut down to size and there is plenty of material for both the left and right sides of the floor. Kinda dresses up what otherwise is a rather plain looking floor and adds very little weight at the same time. And it's cheaper than buying another pair of shoes. Just a thought.

Art,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sonex taildragger #95,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Jabiru 3300 #261

builderflyer wrote:And it's cheaper than buying another pair of shoes.

You are quite right!

Seems a few more ounces on my plane could be tolerated as I recently added an EZ Pilot auto pilot. I don't use it very much but it's there for long cross country flights, if needed. I know weight is the enemy but many of us want to have a few extra toys in our toys.

I had noticed that some others had used small pieces of carpet in that area but a pair of "crocs" or even "boat shoes" would be better to walk around in once I get to where I'm going. Or I could use a smaller pair of shoes when riding the motorcycle to the airport - but I like boots that protect my feet and ankles and have a good grip on the pavement as the bike is fairly large and heavy.

Thanks for the reply,

Dale
3.0 Corvair Sonex
Taildragger