The questions are – should we fly the plane again with the likelihood of oil temps up to 230 

 

Hi Al,

 

FWIW, I would certainly give it another try.  A brief trip to 230F won't hurt the engine if you don't do it all the time, and I think it would be worth it to find out if the gear position makes that much difference.  The plane's too nicely finished to go hacking it up without knowing for sure if it's necessary. 

 

You can delay the high temps a bit by trying to limit your heating before takeoff.  In other words, try to depart just as the temps reach your lower "normal" limit.  Obviously you can also do the test early in the morning before the OAT starts to soar.         

 

and, should the design be such that the oil cools adequately with the gear down anyway? 

 

Good question.   I'm not a retractable kinda guy, but  I'd say you need to be able to perform your normal takeoff, and I presume that means sucking the gear up as soon as you can't land straight ahead on the runway.   Most of the time you're in the pattern with the gear down, you'll be at low power to land, so oil temp shouldn't be an issue then.   

 

Good luck with the testing.

 

Rusty (got an Ellison TB to try with the single rotor)