Tips for Staying Cool/Hydrated While Instructing

If you're in a Skyhawk or the likes and the student doesn't mind, fly around with a window open. Seriously works wonders.
 
Camelback, an empty Gatorade bottle and make your students preflight while you're inside in between flights after they learn to do it correctly.
 
This doesn't help with dehydration, but if your planes have vinyl seats buy one of those seat covers made of wooden beads - the kind cabbies always use. Helps immensely with SWASS
 
jordan747_400 said:
I'm a part-time CFI about to make the plunge into full-time instructing. It will be my first summer instructing in the Texas heat and I'm looking for tips/tricks to stay cool/hydrated while working 10-12 hour days in the sun. Even after just a couple of flights the other day, the heat was intense enough to knock me out with a pretty bad headache. Beyond carrying a water bottle, have any of you found anything particularly helpful?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Simplest advice:

Don't sweat it



:D
 
To the OP: Stay away from carbonated drinks, they may feel good at the time but will make your body require more water.

But that cold bubbly sugary soft drink burns so good. Especially on a long hot day!
 
I'm curious to what Texas heat is? I thought Phoenix was the hottest of 'em all to be classified as it's own heat.

In all seriousness, water water water. Also, if you're going on a flight that's 4+ hours, your water WILL go hot. Not warm. HOT. I learned this and went to an airport with no refill water station...bought something from the vending machine and that was hot too. Cut the flight as practically short as you can, get in and out. Air vents open on everyone and make sure your students communicate if you/they feel the slightest bit not comfortable or normal....otherwise some will wait to the point of no return.

Had other coworkers do the mini fan with water spray, towels for sweat, and cold towel to wrap around neck to start out cool.
 
Camelback filled with ice and water, Columbia fishing shirts, and sweat rags.

I prefer the long sleeve shirts over sunscreen and they are still very cool and breathable.

Make sure you are wiping sweat away from your face with the clean rag and not the one that has oil on it.




image.jpeg
image.jpeg






image.jpeg
 
tlewis95 said:
Camelback filled with ice and water, Columbia fishing shirts, and sweat rags.

I prefer the long sleeve shirts over sunscreen and they are still very cool and breathable.

Make sure you are wiping sweat away from your face with the clean rag and not the one that has oil on it.

View attachment 35511 View attachment 35510
Click to expand...
Those fishing shirts are pretty nice. Get one decent breeze and they dry right out - feels like wearing A/C.

Now - there's a '78 PA-28R that I have access to that has factory A/C. I've never actually used it but it was nice knowing it was there.[
 
Get a ventilated seat cushion, not all the comfortable but it keeps air moving around your bottom and back.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Comfort-P...ooshion-Ventilated-Seat-Cushion-Blue/25525317

I had 2 plastic water bottles, one I would freeze overnight, and the other I would fill with water and take both on the flights, The frozen one will last a few hours you can also add lemon to your water as well if ya like.

These bottles are nice, because they have a clip on the top, makes for carrying them attached to your flight bag easy.

http://www.target.com/p/contigo-autoseal-grace-water-bottle-24-oz/-/A-14476985
 
The only relief is to start early, like 5am and end around noon. You can't beat the Texas heat. The first time I stepped off a of plane in Dallas it was 113 degrees.

Seriously, I would instruct fro 5-9am, and possibly 9pm-12pm.
 
Water, good headset (clamping headset for 8 hrs will bring on headaches), and don't fly during the hottest part of the day. Treat it the same as a weather day.

Man I don't miss instructing.
 
USAF instructors operate using an "Index of Thermal Stress" matrix which limits time spent working (including non-flying ground operations, like the walk-around) outside of air conditioning during severe heat.

This is a snapshot of my in-flight guide from when I was a T-38 instructor showing the matrix of temperature and dewpoint, and the limitations to duty time and actions under those conditions.
E082BA87-2B77-436A-9E18-E70534D9B315_zpsceidbw2j.jpg
 
killbilly said:
Those fishing shirts are pretty nice. Get one decent breeze and they dry right out - feels like wearing A/C.

Now - there's a '78 PA-28R that I have access to that has factory A/C. I've never actually used it but it was nice knowing it was there.[
Click to expand...

Factory AC on aircraft is hit or miss. Most of them are extremely simple systems...about what's in a 1972 Dodge Dart. The compressors are absolutely stock Sandens and the rest is off the shelf.

If they're so simple, then why don't they work? 2 reasons, usually...leaks in the refrigerant line, and an air path that is full of holes. Refrigerant leaks can be a PITA to find, but it's doable. It takes your A&P working with an AC guy about a day, and quite frankly, people don't want to spend the money. Looking at the refrigerant lines is like looking at some kind of Rube Goldberg joke, and it doesn't like vibration at all, which we all know isn't exactly in short supply in most GA aircraft.

Ducting on GA aircraft is notoriously flimsy and leaks like a sieve after a couple of years.

I've got factory AC in my Bonanza, and it took a couple of years of targeted fixes to bring it up to 100%, but outside of a couple of months, it's an AOG item.

Mechanical AC is heavy. Even with a modern super-efficient compressor running on 24v, you're probably not going to be under 40lbs for something that could cool a 4 seater. It takes a surprisingly high number of BTUs, and you have to have an inlet for condenser cooling and a drain line. I've seen all electric modules for Barons and Cessnas, and they work great, but the cost is, well, impressive.

That said, there are the ice chest coolers. They actually do work pretty well to cut the heat to a tolerable level, but they won't beat extreme heat or very high humidity. If you've got a 4 seater, most will work....you just need a ready supply of ice. Most of the one's I've seen work for about 2 hours. The problem is that you'd have a hard time schlepping it from one airplane to another and you'd need a source of ice. I haven't seen any small one's suitable for 2 seaters, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

If I had a school in a hot area, I'd have a ice cooler for each airplane, and a freezer filled with those gel packs. Guys would just grab a couple of ice packs on the way out to the airplane, drop them in, and off they go.

Richman
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top