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Smoke system - pros and cons

MacCool

Well Known Member
I have an opportunity for a pretty good deal on acquiring a 4.25 gallon "hidden" smoke system (tank mounts behind passenger seat) as part of the deal on an RV-9A that I'm buying and picking up this weekend .

I find the concept intriguing but know little about them. What are the pros and cons of having a 13.5 lb smoke system on my airplane?
 
Be careful

Smoking is addictive, so be very cautious. I'm about to buy my 4th 55 gallon drum of smoke oil.

Regarding price: This is the current best priced 55 gal drum that I can find.
https://petroleumservicecompany.com/bluesky-white-lightning-smoke-oil-55-gallon-drum/
In the past I have used concrete from release oil and it was much cheaper, but I no longer can find a cheap source.
PSC offers flat rate shipping, so you can purchase up to 4 55 gal drums and get it shipped for $95. Find some friends
for a group buy and get it shipped cheap.
 
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Smoking is addictive, so be very cautious. I'm about to buy my 4th 55 gallon drum of smoke oil.

LOL. That's a lot of oil. It's expensive stuff...I'll have exercise restraint and be judicious.

Does it make a mess on the hull?
 
Since visibility of one of the main reasons we go flying, why on Earth would anyone want to intentionally degrade it?

Dave
 
Pros
- It's friggin' fun, especially in formation and when flying extended trail. Looking over my shoulder and seeing my own smoke-traced loop in the sky is really a cool feeling.
- A couple of quick sequential puffs of smoke help other pilots find you visually when they're "searching" for traffic. That falls in the 'safety' category. Quite a few pilots have commented positively on that to me.
- Did I mention fun?

Cons
- Oil cost. There are two parts to this. First, you'll spend anywhere from $8 to $13 per gallon depending on the source, product, and quantity (55 gal drums cost less per gallon than 5 gallon cans). You can defray some of that by splitting a drum with a buddy. Secondly, you burn approx 1/2 gallon of oil per minute, so it's easy to 'burn' money with this.
- Installation. You've got to get this right. Oil leaks are a bear to clean.
- Weight and space. I believe you're talking about the SmokeSystemHelper.com tank which, like mine, mounts behind a seat. That's a GREAT system to use, but it still denies you a little space you could have used for bags.
- Your aircraft's belly. It's going to need cleaning (but isn't that always true for RVs?).

It's your mind to make up. Me? I love my system. I wish I had been a little swifter and bought Marvin's company.
 
Best one I can think of is collision avoidance.

This is the #1 reason I'm adding smoke. I have a 3 gallon tank and when tower or traffic say "not in sight" I'll just give them a few seconds of smoke, problem solved. It will be nice for aerobatics/formations too.
 
"911-Plane on Fire"

Talked my buddy out of smoke system --- just could not see it over Clearwater Beach without reports to 911. :D

Ron
 
I pondered doing it for my build, but quickly realized that the only time I'd want to use it is when I wouldn't want the feds to know what I'm doing. I.E. the guy doing stupid (fun) stuff can be found at the tip of the smoke trail. :D
 
Smoke trailing the plane means "you're on fire..."

Hopefully not followed by a command to eject!

To each his own in this world of toys!
 
I've definitely been having some "to smoke or not to smoke" internal debates as of late. It's just part of my attempts to preplan every possible system as I approach the finishing stage.

Marv's system for the -8 is definitely pretty slick, and not really super expensive in the grand scheme of things. Still, I'm sufficiently on the fence that I'm likely not going to install it (at least not right now), mostly from the perspective of "stopping making the build more complicated and just finish it."
 
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I've definitely been having some "to smoke or not to smoke" internal debates as of late. It's just part of my attempts to preplan every possible system as I approach the finishing stage.

Marv's system for the -8 is definitely pretty slick, and not really super expensive in the grand scheme of things. Still, I'm sufficiently on the fence that I'm likely not going to install it (at least not right now), mostly from the perspective of "stopping making the build more complicated and just finish it."

Adding the system to a flying -8 isn’t a super difficult process. Maybe do the wiring now, and and the rest later if you so chose?
 
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Like someone said, "to each his own". My son and I are now on our third RV (1 RV-7 and 2 RV-8s). The first 8 had smoke and we found out the following details real quick:

1. You go thru $20 a gallon (if not bought in large quantities) smoke oil like a freshman in college goes thru his/her drinking/discretionary funds........quickly.
2. The belly of the airplane gets nasty.
3. You, inside the airplane, stink after using it as smoke came into our cockpit on a regular basis.

In short, for us, it was entertaining for a brief period but quickly lost it's attraction.
 
Smoke - YES!

Well, I am a smoker and love it for too many reasons. I have been smoking for 10 years. No you don't smell like smoke. No you do not have a nasty airplane. You use good smoke oil and yes it costs. The cheap/form oil does stink. You dial in your smoke system so there is hardly any if any on the bottom of your airplane. How often do you clean the bottom of your airplane? Well just wipe it all down every now and then like most of us do when we run out of things to do laying on a creeper. It is very useful for visual acquisition for you and your wing men. It is great to honor vets during missing man ceremonies, flyovers, incentive rides, etc. It is fun to have not gonna lie. Yes people will call the airport that there is a plane having trouble, it happens. And if you are doing something illegal ADSB will tell that story if you are called in for questioning. I personally think it is a requirement if you own an RV that you are going to use to have fun in as it is not for commercial business. You don't have to use smoke unless YOU want to. And yes it can be a mess to clean up if you spill it, usually because you are not paying attention. I treat my smoke oil filling, removal etc like I do my walk around, I don't talk to anyone and if you are trying to talk to me I will tell you give me a minute or two and we will talk I am doing a very important thing right now. Pretty simple. It is not overly difficult to add a system, especially a builder type. I really love the builders that have put smoke tanks in their wings during the build, those are awesome. The tanks come out pretty quick with a couple of quick disconnects and screws if you need the space for big time travel.
SMOKE ON!
 
Cons?

There are no cons!
There’s also no mess if it’s set up correctly.
Nobody has told me I smell bad....
From smoking.
 
Is it worth trying to dual use smoke tanks for extra fuel on a long flight? Maybe some failsafe way to use the pump and a diverting valve to pump the contents into a main tank if smoke tank is full of fuel. Then go back to oil during shorter fun flights. Would want to have a large enough tank to make it worthwhile. And some failsafe way to ensure that gas and smoke oil destinations never get mixed up.
 
I just started smoking and it great fun! Just have to remember, 5.00 a minute!
 

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Pros:
- It looks Sierra Hotel when you do the low approach and break to downwind on return to the field.
- VCAS (Visual Collision Avoidance System)

Cons:
- Spilled/leaked oil is messy
- It's only a 13lb system, but an empty tank might as well not be installed so you'll always want to be flying around with a tank full of oil... What does that weigh?
- Might want to remove it for extra space/capacity when travelling
- Cost of oil
 
Anyone have the hidden tank with the "almost a 14" seatmod installed? I was curious to hear feedback about how they played together.
 
Well...my decision was to first, buy the airplane or not...and I did (beautiful and well-equipped RV-9A). Flying it back home to Minnesota later this morning. Next decision was whether or not to buy the smoke system that had been installed...and I did. The 4.25 gallon tank fits perfectly behind the passenger seat without intruding on the baggage compartment, and the plane does have the almost-a-14 seat mod.
 
Anyone have the hidden tank with the "almost a 14" seatmod installed? I was curious to hear feedback about how they played together.

It does work - I have a friend building a 9A with the "almost 14" seat mod installed, and he borrowed my 7.5 gallon tank to check the sizing - fits well.
 
Talked my buddy out of smoke system --- just could not see it over Clearwater Beach without reports to 911. :D

A valid concern... the B-17 that I fly has a smoke system installed, but only on #3 and usually only used for the Tora Tora airshow routine. But last year doing a football stadium flyover in Oklahoma, I had the not so wise idea to trail smoke on the overhead pass. Because hey, pilots thinks it looks cool! On the ground, they see one smoking and get concerned... yeah, we got calls on that one. I guess it didn’t help that it was maybe 10 days after Collings 909 crash as well. Dumb move on my part! So now, smoke at air shows only...
 
I pay about $100.00 for a 5 gallon can of smoke oil delivered. My smoke system (LongEZ/wing tank)pumps 1.6 gpm and makes LOTS of white smoke. Doing the math it costs roughly 50 cents a second to run smoke. Is it worth it? **** yeah. For awhile I ran filtered, used (free) ATF but it had a gray tinge and "carboned" up the injectors every 2 gallons or so. Also, my smoke switch (right next to the throttle) is spring loaded so I don't forget and leave it on.
 
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