Bonanza vs Polar Vortex

[Jarek]

Just for testing purposes Thursday morning at KGPZ, 1am UTC.
OAT = -31C/-24F. "Cabin is freezing" message pops up.
However, 520 fires after 5-6 seconds. Warmup time was more than 20 minutes. Cowl flap fully open.
This was the first time when on takeoff I cared more about MP than RPM

[Scav]

You don't dare sneeze in that kind of weather. Whatever comes out of your nose will freeze AS it comes out, and then you'll have a big problem.

[ratty]

Cowl flap fully open.

Was that wise?

[Jarek]

Was that wise?

Yes, this is the recommended procedure - to achieve uniform warmup of the to and bottom cylinder/head surface. Cylinder temps. will increase rapidly with any outside temp. and stabilize slightly below normal in such conditions.
What was not wise here was the startup attempt without pre-warming.
With this oil viscosity (which is like butter) in these conditions, metal-to-metal contact is almost guaranteed and generally congealing oil may damage something internally.
Temperatures in the green range before takeoff are essential, especially for the critical bearings which need to be properly cooled.