Cherokee mod I'd like to see

Timbeck2

Timbeck2

Final Approach
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Timbeck2
Those who own or have flown the lowly Cherokee know that the air vents are down next to the floor right in front of the seat. I would like to extend that vent up behind the upholstery and replace it with something like an eyeball vent somewhere more useful, like where I sweat the most around the chest and nugget area. I wonder if anyone has ever done this and what the approval process would be.
 
If your nuggets are by your chest, then you made somebody mad enough to kick you reaaaally hard. I bet it looks like you been workin out though.

But like you, I'd like to get more wind on mine too.:D
 
Seriously though, I have thought the same thing about the ventilation in the Cherokee. It's one of the reasons I would get a high wing instead. I'm super hot natured. I was thinking a pop open vent (like a cowl flap) with a corrugated tube leading to eyeball vent.
But even a side window vent that was like a cowl flap to direct air into the cabin better would help.
 
The dumb thing is that low wing or high wing is irrelevant in this case. It's ram air. Ducting is the issue. I have the eyeball vents on the roof which are plastic and falling apart (and a bazillion dollars each to replace) and the floor ones... because apparently the designers had ankles that ran hot.
 
Sounds good to me. I usually open the window and stick my hand out to force the air into my face.
 
ircphoenix said:
The dumb thing is that low wing or high wing is irrelevant in this case
Click to expand...
I just thought that high wing was cooler due to the sun exposure.. or so I've read in about a million of the high vs low threads.
I can get a lot of air in the 172 I've been flying with the wing vents and windows.
 
I think the overhead vents were first offered in Cherokees in 1971. But the airflow (coming from the inlet at the top of the vertical fin) was pretty wimpy. An optional electric fan offered a few years later didn't help much. There was an optional factory air conditioning system that came out in 1972. Nice enough if it worked (though it was designed to shut off at full throttle to conserve power), but sixty pounds of dead weight if it didn't, which was most of the time.

You'd think that since the factory was in Florida someone would have come up with a way to provide better cabin ventilation for PA-28s.
 
You know, I have always had a problem with hot ankles when flying the Warrior. If you moved the vents up, how would that work?

I heard a story once of a CFI in Roanoke who cobbled together some PVC pipe to redirect the air to his face level. Maye that would work.
 
I read a story a while back (maybe on this site) about a guy who left his plane in Arizona (I believe). Got back in it and took off down the runway. It was getting warm so he opened the wing vent (Cessna) and hornets had built a nest in it.
Not a good day...
 
Skyrys62 said:
I just thought that high wing was cooler due to the sun exposure.. or so I've read in about a million of the high vs low threads.
I can get a lot of air in the 172 I've been flying with the wing vents and windows.
Click to expand...

Oh definitely. I meant the design was dumb. Because in Cessnas they had the foresight to install the vents at the top. Piper somehow thought that vents on the floor were brilliant... when they could have simply run a tube inside the liner to the headliner. My 1970 Cherokee 140 has vents on the floor and the top. But the top ones are a bit wimpy, as @Pilawt pointed out.
 
Hmmmm....

C182.. flexible hose scavenged from a vacuum cleaner... fitter to upper airvent.... stuffed up the leg of my shorts....

Ahhhhhhhhh....
 
Notice I said "nugget" - not plural, as in - noggin, think bump, cabeza, etc. not to be confused with grapes, stones, family jewels, nads or big Jim and the twins.
 
ircphoenix said:
The dumb thing is that low wing or high wing is irrelevant in this case. It's ram air. Ducting is the issue. I have the eyeball vents on the roof which are plastic and falling apart (and a bazillion dollars each to replace) and the floor ones... because apparently the designers had ankles that ran hot.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you need to find a friend with a 3-D printer. ;)

<---- a friend but not a friend with a 3-D printer.
 
I guess one could print 3D nuggets to hang from the compass.
you know, like the 4 wheel drive truck trailer hitch ones.
I bet those guys get hot in the sun.
Fried nuggets
ewww
 
Skyrys62 said:
he opened the wing vent (Cessna) and hornets had built a nest in it.
Not a good day...
Click to expand...
Ever since I had a yellowjacket hitch a ride with me last year (he waited until I leveled off at 11,500' to come out from behind the panel), I park with the can vents closed and rags jammed into the vent inlets in the leading edges and the avionics vents.

:eek:
 
$35 each. Very thin and after they sit in the sun, are brittle as all get out. The flange is the same price so $70 a pop x four.

K65735-8_BIG.jpg
 
I think that when I re-upholster the side panels I'll install a Y duct above the current vents and install these in the sides. That way I can have the choice of ankle cooling or nugget cooling or a combination of the two using the existing valve. Not very expensive, only $18 apiece.

05-04079b.jpg
 
Timbeck2 said:
$35 each. Very thin and after they sit in the sun, are brittle as all get out. The flange is the same price so $70 a pop x four.

K65735-8_BIG.jpg
Click to expand...

I haz a friend with a 3D printer. I need to get the files for 'em... know anywhere to find them?
 
ircphoenix said:
I haz a friend with a 3D printer. I need to get the files for 'em... know anywhere to find them?
Click to expand...

Seems pretty straightforward. If he has the part and knows how to use drafting software he could do it. I have a friend who is in Afghanistan right now that offered but he isn't due back for a couple of years.
 
Pilawt said:
Ever since I had a yellowjacket hitch a ride with me last year (he waited until I leveled off at 11,500' to come out from behind the panel), I park with the can vents closed and rags jammed into the vent inlets in the leading edges and the avionics vents.

:eek:
Click to expand...
That happened to me on my first solo cross country, except he showed himself right as I was entering the runway to takeoff:

After being cleared for takeoff.....
Me: "Uh, tower, I have a bee in the cockpit."
Tower: "Say again?"
Me: "I have a BEE in the cockpit."
Tower: "Abort takeoff. Take first taxiway on your left."
 
Timbeck2 said:
I don't know how they did this one in the door though.

picture2.jpg
Click to expand...

I think those older Cherokees were built that way. Look at this photo of a late 1964 Cherokee 180C -- there are vent intakes open at elbow level front and rear. The front one is in the door just about even with where that outlet is in your photo. And there are no air intakes in the wing root, like the ones that feed the ankle vents in your airplane.

pa-28-180_1964.jpg

Skimming through the old brochures, looks like the change to the low vents and flush wing-root intakes was about 1968.
 
Must be a problem with older Cherokees. My 1980 Archer has good airflow from the ceiling vent in cruise without the fan. It only needs the fan on the ground in the hot summer, and opening the door during taxi really does the trick to reduce sweating on the ground.

There used to be a plastic vent add-on you inserted into the tiny pilot-side side window for increased airflow on the ground. I have not seen it lately but maybe aircraft spruce would have it.
Edit: Yep, it's called the Kool Scoop.
 
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Kind of depends on where ya are too.

<---- getting dry heat hotter every day now.
 
MajorTurbulence said:
Must be a problem with older Cherokees. My 1980 Archer has good airflow from the ceiling vent in cruise without the fan. It only needs the fan on the ground in the hot summer, and opening the door during taxi really does the trick to reduce sweating on the ground.

There used to be a plastic vent add-on you inserted into the tiny pilot-side side window for increased airflow on the ground. I have not seen it lately but maybe aircraft spruce would have it.
Edit: Yep, it's called the Kool Scoop.
Click to expand...

I have the Kool Scoop. It's awesome. Until some jackhole leaves it out in the slip stream at 100 kts.
 
Rebel Lord said:
Sounds good to me. I usually open the window and stick my hand out to force the air into my face.
Click to expand...

I was reading an incident report on an Aerostar somewhere the other day where the pilot was taxiing around with the door open and stuck his arm outside for some reason, and lost fingertips on the prop. Oops.

AggieMike88 said:
Hmmmm....

C182.. flexible hose scavenged from a vacuum cleaner... fitter to upper airvent.... stuffed up the leg of my shorts....

Ahhhhhhhhh....
Click to expand...

Pictures or it didn't happen! LOL.

Timbeck2 said:
Notice I said "nugget" - not plural, as in - noggin, think bump, cabeza, etc. not to be confused with grapes, stones, family jewels, nads or big Jim and the twins.
Click to expand...

Well, @AggieMike88 seems to have figured out how to cool his nuggets. Maybe you'd like it! LOL.

Skyrys62 said:
I guess one could print 3D nuggets to hang from the compass.
you know, like the 4 wheel drive truck trailer hitch ones.
I bet those guys get hot in the sun.
Fried nuggets
ewww
Click to expand...

Hmmm this actually makes me think I need to order some fuzzy dice. I've also misplaced the hula girl, cough, turbulence detector.
 
Timbeck2 said:
Notice I said "nugget" - not plural, as in - noggin, think bump, cabeza, etc. not to be confused with grapes, stones, family jewels, nads or big Jim and the twins.
Click to expand...
Dang it Tim... now you gave me an earworm from a song from a favorite movie...

https://goo.gl/9ZDrXA
 
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