[NSRCA-discussion] Engine cooling

[plachance at cox.net]

Hello all,

Well after about 20 flights or so I finally solved my engine problem.  The engine was getting hot but only the crankcase half of the engine.  The head had good cooling but air could not get to or away from the crank case.  The problem is I now fly 5-6 flights one after the other with no down time between flights.  Last time I flew the plane the field was always packed so I would fly a flight and not fly again for a half hour or so, so the engine had a chance to cool down even though there was little to no airflow to the bottom half of the engine.

The question of the day is...How are people putting scoops on the top of the engine compartment to get cooling air in to the crankcase?  I have a makeshift scoop made from the plastic lackaging from a hotwheels car but need to make and install a permanent scoop.  The plane is really ugly with the makeshift scoop but I have flown it and it proved to keep the engine cooler and the engine seems to be getting better with every flight as opposed to worse like it was.  

Thanks in advance for the help.  My guess is I will need to fabricate something as I am leaving for a contest on the 21st.  It will be my first contest in about 10 years and I cannot wait.

Paul LaChance
Va Beach, VA