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This heat has got me wanting one of these units. I had a student that wanted one a couple of years ago so I got set up as a dealer. If I can get 10 orders committed from the club, I'll pass on some savings. I'll keep this group buy open till July 14th.

The 30 qt unit retails for $495. Group buy price is $425 plus $15 shipping.

http://www.arcticaircooler.com/inde...ory_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=97

I know these are not inexpensive, but they work...at least well enough to make a Cherokee bearable.

Send me a pm if you want to order one and I'll contact you direct for credit card and shipping info. If you want a larger one, let me know and I'll see what I can do there also.

Never used one, and wondered how practical they are. I always thought getting higher would cool things down quite well...

3 degrees per 1000' ????

John

LOL John! You took the words literally right out of my mouth!

Bill

100° on the ground
-3° per 1000'
at 10,000' OAT is 70°, not too bad
cloud deck is at 3,000'
Still 91°, not too good.

Bill Dobson showed me that cross country flights at 3500 feet give you a better view of the ground, but flying to Clinton at 6,500 feet is a lot more comfortable in late July.

That's a dew point of 91 degrees, in the "severely high" and even dangerous range. I remember seeing conditions like that on the Gulf Coast, and it's oppressive indeed.

But the cooler will only run for an hour and a half on "high cool", so on a long trip you'd have to find more ice at every stop. And those really hot days are the ones where density altitude is high and weight becomes even more important, so the extra 35 pounds can be a problem, too. I'm sure it would be nice for people in hot climates on short trips, but unfortunately it wouldn't be a good choice for those of us likely to encounter really hot weather only on long trips.

25 pounds of solid ice has a volume of less than 12 quarts, so I assume that the "30 quart" cooler is less than half full when loaded to capacity?

Roy

I thought it would be a nice gesture to pass on savings I could get by purchasing in a larger quantity. Apparently, its not appreciated.

FYI, it is 3° Celcius per 1000' so in that hypothetical situation, 100°F is 38°C. -3°C/1000' = 8°C at 10,000'(or 46°F). Its still 100°F on the ramp while you're taxiing out which is where these units were intended to be used. Run them till you climb to cooler altitudes, then switch it off.

Roy, run time is an issue as is weight. We've experimented with freezing milk jugs and gotten much longer cooling times, not to mention the savings. On a longer trip, climbing to cooler temps is more practical and leaving the unit in the hangar would probably be best. Also, they are not completely full w/ 25 lbs of cubed ice. You do also have to add 2" of water, but you still want there to be room to prevent any accidental spillage during turbulence.

Where did you come up with that figure. Most PPL texts I've seen and the FAA Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge use 2°C and 3.5°F per 1000' as a standard lapse rate. I am not trying to be aurgumentative, I have an interest in weather and try to absorb this stuff as best I can.

(I realize this thread is in the wrong place at this point...sorry for the hi-jack.)

Shannon, make no mistake, yours is a nice gesture & appreciated. Some club members are more frugal and vocal about it than others. Don't let them dissuade you.

I'm not a buyer, but I do appreciate the thought that went into your offer.

Thanks, Greg. Appreciated.

Charles, looks like you are correct. 2 is the average lapse rate. 3 is the dry rate with the moist rate varying between 1.1 and 2.8. (PHAK pg 10-12)