TREAT WITH RESPECT Looking after the temperatures of an aero engine begins at startup and continues right through to shutdown. (Owen Zupp)

Hot and cold engines

A recent ATSB release on engine failure noted that: “Understanding the possible causes of [piston] engine cylinder cracking is crucial to minimising their likelihood and consequences. One engine manufacturer attributes these failures to sudden/rapid cooling of the engine due to fast descents. ” Never have truer words been said. But care of the hot and cold cycle of a piston aero engine goes beyond fast descents.

The classic example of the effect of rapid cooling of metal has to be a hot baking tray fresh from the oven. Let it cool down naturally and it remains flat.

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