TECHNIQUE BY JILL W. TALLMAN ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLES FLOYD THE HEAT IS ON COLD WEATHER OPS CAN LEAD TO ENGINE FIRES AS MUCH OF THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES ENTERS PROLONGED periods of cold weather, it's time to review engine fires and how they can ignite on the ground. Overpriming-typically done during an attempt to start a cold engine-is a leading cause of engine fires. In a Cessna 172N, excess fuel may ignite in the intake manifold. The pilot's operating handbook will have an emergency checklist for this event, but you should commit it to memory. A fire is no time to be digging through a POH. Run it for a minute to suck flames back through the carburetor and extinguish the blaze. Where's your fire extinguisher, by the way? Then shut down the engine (see below) and get out of the airplane (see 5). You may smell smoke or burning oil, or see smoke come out of the cockpit air vent. Another clue is if someone outside the airplane starts gesturing wildly at you. Keep throttle full open, put mixture to idle cutoff... ...continue cranking... 30 FLIGHT TRAINING NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021