Does anyone here have thoughts regarding the safety of transporting those little butane gas
canisters for cooking etc in our planes and the risk of valve leakage or puncture while in flight?
Has it just been done enough successfully that no one worries about this realistically speaking?

Curious on the concensus of the group, couldn't find this question being answered before.....
and couldn't find any official altitude restrictions on those little portable canisters.

Thx all!
~CRAZEDpilot

I just replace the little rubber cap on the shrader-style canister valve, throw it in my camping box and hope for the best.

This is much too worrisome a question for a guy named "crazedpilot"

Just buy a multi-fuel stove, and eliminate the canister all together. More useful and utilitarian in my opinion. You can use camping white gas, unleaded , kerosene or even 100LL if you want a little lead with breakfast!
http://www.backcountry.com/msr-xgk-ex-multi-fuel-stove?CMP_SKU=CAS0365&MER=0406&CMP_ID=SH_FRO001&mv_pc=r126&mr:trackingCode=DEBD5351-3F84-DF11-9DA0-002219319097&mr:referralID=NA

Wow that was some fast replys Zane - Crazed and CRAZY are two different things. I am more worried
about the higher altitudes affecting the internal valve and/or canister - cheap production quality on things these
days, and I don't wanna worry about blowing off my elevator and rudder ... when like mentioned those multi-fuel
systems are out there, but the butane systems are clearly more compact, easier to light, etc.

So "everybody's doing it" is an acceptable answer, just wanted to make sure it was true????
~Crazed

I knew one guy who did it. His plane mysteriously blew up in mid flight. Never did find out why?


Sorry, I couldn't resist

I use this puppy and just fill it from my sump!!

Yea the Coleman is slick... safest method i'm sure officially.. but you still have to preheat it when lighting right?

PS: yes Jaerl I heard about that guy!!!

By pre-heating, you mean lighting it an waiting a couple minutes for the flame to go down to a nice blue flame, yep!!!

Get two and you can use the other for this!!

Several threads already about 1) preheating with camp stove, 2) cooking with 100LL, etc etc. Do a search and you will turn up more info.

Regarding cooking with 100LL, this is prob important to read.

Gee never thought about that when I was hauling 5... 100# btls of propane in a C206 twice a week. When the smell got to bad just opened the air vents. did frost bite my nose once doing that -40 F in Bettles, AK

reminds me of another time I needed the air vents......taking Jerry Garcia from the Greatfull Dead and a few groupies on a sight seeing trip over some glaciers. He asked me "hey pilot how high are we" I said I am at 7000 feet ....I have no idea how high u are

A jet boil is part of my survival gear. Been flying with 'em in the plane for years sea-level to 14,000 ft hot cold etc. They are not a problem.

-Brad

I sat 2 rows back from 3 100# propane tanks in a twotter once. I figured the differential pressure between the 100' MSL they were filled at & our flight at 500' probably wouldn't over stress the tanks right? I mean ya never hear of LP tanks rupturing on RV's crossing mountain passes. Besides it needs to be between 5%-15% to ignite & with vents open/air leaks in the cabin, I highly doubt it could build up to that level.

I guess delivering fuel to native villages in Arctic Alaska in the hopper of a Pawnee was a good way to turn into the human torch. Good thing I was too young and dumb to give a shit.

Gump

I once had a 10 gallon propane tank, over filled just a bit,while it was out in 15 degree weather. Then, since my truck bed was already stuffed to the gills everywhere else, I set it (stupidly, in retrospect) on the floor of the cab on the passenger side. I drove 20 miles with the heater blowing hot air on it...... about a 1/4 mile from the jobsite I was headed to it vented. Luckily I am not a smoker! My helper, driving behind, about wet his pants laughing, he had a ring side view of the cab instantly filling with propane vapor, me swerving etc. It only lasted a fraction of a second, but it was intense, my mind didn't process what it was until it was over, cheez

If you are worried about it, throw it in a .50 cal. ammo can and you're good to go. Some carry bear spray in the same fashion.

crazedpilot wrote:Does anyone here have thoughts regarding the safety of transporting those little butane gas
canisters for cooking etc in our planes and the risk of valve leakage or puncture while in flight?
Has it just been done enough successfully that no one worries about this realistically speaking?

Curious on the concensus of the group, couldn't find this question being answered before.....
and couldn't find any official altitude restrictions on those little portable canisters.

Thx all!
~CRAZEDpilot

I've carried propane/butane bottled up and back Calif-to Idaho up to 17,000 msl with no ill effects. Cooks spam on stove .

The boiling point on butane is 30F. At 140F the vapor pressure is just under 80PSI. I'd bet the containers are rated at least 150psi.just make sure your baggage compartment stays under 150F. When I hauled butane the pressure relief valve was set to 125PSI.Even if you took 1 of those containers to outer space the pressure difference is only 28-30 psi. You stand more chance of getting hit in the head on a hard landing by the container than of it blowing up.

Like others...

....I use an MSR stove, burn 100LL right out of the sumps. Duck Tape my bear spray to the wing strut. When linemen give a quizzical look...I tell them it is a JATO Tube for boosted take off.

Of course most folks don't know what a JATO Tube is anymore. Getting old is fun!!

Bob