Im flying my 182 back to Colorado from the Bahamas and a spent the night at an airport in Alabama last night. Slept out in a tent (15 degrees) and awoke to find my water bottle next to me was frozen. To my surprise, no one I've asked at any of the airports of stopped at has a pre-heater, nor do any of the fbo's. I spent the morning with my cowling off, sitting in the sun, trying to get any warmth to it. Ended up hitch hiking a ride with a police officer to a hardware store and bought a propane space heater that was able to get enough heat on it to start up.

Anyone have that link to the back country diy pre heater? Or any other recommendations for someone in this predicament? Got off 4 hours behind schedule today and had to park it for the night again in Arkansas. No pre-heater at the fbo and all the heated hangers are full... we will see tomorrow...

Blanket over the cowl and a 100 watt bulb inside, hair dryer. Point in the cowl flap over night will work also! Set it on something so that if it melts it will be out of the cowl, as long as it is cold it should work.
GT.

An el-cheapo small electric heater works too. Stuff it in the bottom of the cowling, and wrap things with a sleeping bag or thick blanket. Just don't aim it at anything plastic. An hour or two should have crank and oil toasty at those temps. Just watch it so you don't melt anything.

Gump

Our flying club has a PA12 on skis and has always used a small electric heater like Gump mentioned (8 inches or less in length) and a cowling blanket. The temperatures up here, are colder than what you are likely to encounter, but it has always worked great. A very cheap solution if you have electricity. Steve

You can get a pad style automotive heater that sticks on the oil pan. They come in various wattage and are sold at auto parts stores.

Carry a cheap 1200 Watt hair dryer with you since you are landing at airports rather than back country strips with no electricity readily available.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4 ... ?locale=en

Yet to find a cowl it wouldn't slide into easily.

Of course you might have to go to Canada to buy one like I did