You’re probably not pre-heating your airplane correctly. Why it needs more than a few minutes of warm air and what can happen when you don’t meet that need.

By Mike GuGeler

After watching me horse around with a Piper Cub one day years ago, an old timer gave me a stern look and the comment, "Son, that ain’t a car." Even in my youth I realized it was a good point that applies to most aspects of aviation, but recently I recognized its wisdom concerning cold-weather starts.

Everybody knows that preheating aircraft engines is recommended, but so is exercise and a good diet. You don’t preheat your car to drive to the airport, so what’s the big deal? One engine is much the same as another, isn’t it? Not really. …