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From:  n295vv@aol.com

More on the heater.  Today I removed the old flapper-valve heater system and
prepared to install the $400 replacement kit.  The new kit is well-designed.
It seems to have been prepared with  much thought.  In installing it, you
simply remove all pieces of the old system, and slip the new axial valve
through the firewall in place of the old flapper valve.  Lancair has provided
lots of scat tubing and some very nice flow diverter valves for the front and
back seats-something that was lacking in the earlier assembly of the system.
The axial valve is much improved over the old flapper valve, and it looks like
it will eliminate bleed to the cabin in the summer.  Whomever designed it
deserves much credit.

In the instruction sheet there is some mention of heat muff vs. non-heat muff
engines.  Obviously I have the latter.  Since I am not a fan of the turbo
sonic bleed because it robs the engine of MP,  I  am going to remove this, and
attempt to bleed hot air from the crossover tube.  I think it is possible to
grind a hole on top of the crossover tube baffle (a nasty job, since it is
behind the engine and in front of the firewall) , and weld up a nice saddle
assembly that will fit over the hole and bolt securely onto the crossover
tube.

Before I do this, I would like to know if anyone out there has the heat muff
type heater, and if so, do you get good airflow into the cockpit with it?

Since I still have the old flapper valve and its push-pull cable is still
installed, I might consider leaving the sonic system installed, and use the
flapper valve to switch between it and the heat muff--the sonic system to be
used only in an emergency if the heat muff isnt providing enough heat.  (on
second thought, I have decided not to do this--since the flapper valve leaks
like heck,  I would always be dumping MP overboard somewhere with a loss of
power.)

Your valued comments would be much appreciated.

David Jones
Pecatonica, Illinois