[dehrmann]

I might get some of the backstory halfway off, but my grandfather was in Alaska during WWII for the construction of the Alaska Highway. They tried to never turn off truck and equipment engines because if you did, you had to build a fire under them to get them warm enough to start again.

[WalterBright]

My family was stationed near London for a time. My father told me later that once an airline pilot mistook a WW2 strip for the Heathrow runway (!) and landed there, using every inch of it to get it to stop. The strip was too short to take off from, so what to do?

They stripped everything off the airplane they could. Seats, interiors, galleys, everything. They put in just enough fuel to hop over the trees to Heathrow. He said they did it, but barely.

[fhars]

Spantax used to do that in Hamburg, scroll down to „Incidents“ on https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg_Finkenwerder_Airport

The interesting thing is that „the end of the runway“ is actually a major river.

And a Vuelling flight almost made the same mistake two years ago (but today it would be less critical as they have extended the runway to accommodate A380s some time ago).

[netsharc]

I'm trying to google a similar "we landed here but now it's too short for us to takeoff again" story which IIRC happened in California, but I can only find this incident that happened with a cargo plane in Kansas: https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/11/giganti...

[therockspush]

This has happened more than a few times in Wichita. They are usually aiming for KICT but hit other airports. We had to file a flight plan out of Jabara for a private jet that was actually trying to land at KICT for maintenance. Didnt make the news but we did have to plan for the minimum amount of fuel.

[jsjohnst]

Sorta similar situation happened a few years back in Wichita Kansas. A 747 Dreamlifter (what Boeing uses to fly 787 fuselages) landed at Jabara airport (corporate jet airport) instead of the Air Force base 9 miles south of it. The videos online don’t give it justice, but from folks I know there, it was a frightful takeoff.

[uxhack]

I think you referring to a Pan Am 707 landing at RAF Northolt in 1960 https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1001607

[WalterBright]

Wow! That looks like it. Thanks!

How did you find it?

[jandrese]

Old farm tractors used what was called "farm oil" in the old days. Basically the cheapest form of fuel you could buy since it was effectively a byproduct of the refining process. It was closer to paraffin wax than diesel, solid at room temperature. In order to start the tractor there was a second tank with diesel that was used until the engine warmed up enough to melt the primary fuel. If your tractor stalled out and you couldn't get it started again quickly the fuel would solidify in the lines and you would have to light a fire under the tractor to get it started.

[greglindahl]

Is this the same as the "bunker oil" burned by big ships? Wikipedia seems to think so: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_oil#Bunker_fuel

[dredmorbius]

Yes.

The WWII Liberty Ships utilised a triple-expansion steam engine, fired by bunker fuel. Both the expended steam and the boilers were used to fluidise the fuel to flowable tempertures -- the steam circulating either through or around the feed tanks, and the fuel line itself passing through the boiler and flame trench before final injection.

There are two remaining Liberty Ships in the US -- the John W. Brown in Baltimore, and the Jeremiah O'Brien in San Francisco.

Pay a visit and one of the engine-room crew can tell you the details.

The generaly kluginess and hackiness of the design instantly brought to mind what many software projects I've worked on might look like if physically instantiated. Though the Liberty Ship design is by far the more robust and useful than most.

[frank2]

American liberty ships used steam engines because US industry had been building cargo ships for the Brits and wanted to avoid the delay of switching to a more modern design. The Brits specified steam engines so they could run the ships on coal so they wouldn't have to import the fuel.

[fencepost]

The more modern takes on this likely include "greasecar" diesel conversions that still have a small diesel tank, plus the different summer and winter blends of diesel fuel itself (since "A" diesel that gels at 5C is going to be a problem in a lot of places).

[WalterBright]

The Germans in Russia in WW2 would use fires to warm their tanks and airplanes to get them to start.

[jacquesm]

They still do this in some places in Russia.

[WalterBright]

I might add that lighting a fire under a gas engine that likely has leaks and drips is a pretty ballsy thing to do.

[jacquesm]

Usually done for big rigs, diesels not gas engines.

[WalterBright]

Airplane engines are gas!

[kortilla]

It’s rare to have an engine that just drips fuel. Lubrication oil for sure, but straight up petrol leaks for a non-running engine require a lot of things to be wrong.

[WalterBright]

You're talking about a very heavily used airplane in a barely usable airfield with desperate mechanics, often under attack, adverse weather, and parts shortages.

[weaksauce]

Or an sr-71

[lb1lf]

I once owned a Lada Niva, which while it was overall a rather - to put it charitably - interesting car to own, it excelled during wintertime.

The engine sump was incredibly heavy; when inquiring as to why, I was told the idea was that you could light a (small!) fire under it to make it easier to get the engine cranking in severe cold.

That's Soviet engineering for you!

[newnewpdro]

Sounds right, they describe this method in Alaska Crude, an interesting old book photo-documenting the development of Prudhoe Bay Oil Field.

The engine and gear oil would freeze solid. Required fires under differentials, oil pans, etc. just to get the oil liquid again.

[acomjean]

Cars in northern Canada sometime have block heaters installed for cold starting.

How cold should it be before you use it? Ask the internet:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/globe-drive/culture/comm...

[fnbr]

In my experience, it's all cars in Canada- I've never seen one that doesn't have it (other than imports). I guess you could probably get away without it on the west coast.

Most cars do start though. It’s really a maintenance issue, where it’s bad for your car to start it at -30 (as the linked article says). In my experience, a newer car in decent shape will start consistently.

[jacquesm]

You'd have a very hard time starting a diesel without a block heater. When I lived in Canada I kept an older Ford (a 1949 one!) around for winter use because the diesel tractor was that much harder to start. You can make things a bit better by mixing about 5% gasoline in with the diesel to avoid the diesel becoming flaky but that has limits too and the Canadian winters can throw -40 Celsius at you with some regularity.

Block heaters are a must in that environment.

[matt_the_bass]

Fun fact: -40C == -40F

[inferiorhuman]

Yeah my E39 doesn't have any sort of heater and it came from BC. I've not seen anywhere to plug a block heater in though BMW did sell auxiliary coolant heaters (from Webasto). Of course if I lived in a climate where block heaters were required a BMW wouldn't be my first choice. The heated seats and steering wheel come in handy more than I thought they would tho.

[freeone3000]

I live in the habitable zone near the US and while I've heard of one, I've never seen one.

[lb1lf]

-Block heaters are quite common in Norway, too - and while my old diesel will start in -30C without one, it does not like it. (I cheat, though - the starter motor is pilfered from a light truck, and two batteries with approx. 800 CCA each work in parallel to make it turn over; it was a necessity as there is no electricity where we park the car before heading for our cabin in the mountains...)

In addition to less engine wear, it also works wonders for fuel consumption and makes the car comfortably warm in a couple of minutes.

[greglindahl]

Engine block heaters are a part of optional or standard cold weather kits in cars sold all over the colder places in the world.

Electric cars have the standard advice to leave them plugged in overnight in cold areas.

[Waterluvian]

Standard in every car I've owned in Canada. Never needed it.

[tonyarkles]

Based on your name, I suggest coming west, but not too far west :). Trying to start a car at -40 in SK is rough... if you've got a good battery and thin oil you might be able to, but it's so much nicer after the block heater's been going for a few hours.

[refurb]

Cold weather starting is MUCH better on cars than it was 30 years ago. Fuel injection made a big difference.

I had to use a block heater (and battery heater) a number of times. But once I moved to a late 80’s car, I almost never had to use the block heater.

[dsfyu404ed]

Gasoline powered cars in good repair will start just fine any any temperature the North American continent can provide. Block heaters are to speed warmup and reduce wear.