Ice

[Little Dipper]

I thought some might find these pictures interesting as it seems like there is much discussion about ice.   After having known ice installed in my Ovation many years ago I intentionally flew thru icing conditions on a trip to Chicago to experience & learn how well it worked.   You can see how well over an inch of ice accumulated on the landing lights while the wings remained clean.   Two recommendations I would make is 1) Never fly in ice without an out.  2) Don't use speed brakes in ice.

Norm

[carqwik]

I think there's a prohibition about using the speed brakes in icing conditions...for obvious reasons!!

That looks like some pretty bad icing conditions...clear ice over an inch thick!  Yikes!!

[kortopates]

2 hours ago, Hyett6420 said:

interesting how the ice is almost flat in shape.

Those are the "horn" like feature characteristic of Clear ice. Clear ice forms in warmer conditions and runs back further creating these horns that form typically after 20+ minutes of ice accumulation. Clear ice is the most dangerous because it forms in greater thicknesses than Rime. Consequently it creates the most drag and greatest loss of critical angle of attack.

[StevenL757]

Isn't TKS amazing...

[Bennett]

I thought some might find these pictures interesting as it seems like there is much discussion about ice.   After having known ice installed in my Ovation many years ago I intentionally flew thru icing conditions on a trip to Chicago to experience & learn how well it worked.   You can see how well over an inch of ice accumulated on the landing lights while the wings remained clean.   Two recommendations I would make is 1) Never fly in ice without an out.  2) Don't use speed brakes in ice.
Norm

I once made the mistake of deploying speed brakes in a descent through ice. Wasn't there long, but one froze in the extended position when I tried to retract them (vacuum version), and then I couldn't get the one that retracted to deploy again to maintain symmetry. Finally descended into warm rain, and everything worked right again. It was easy to deal with the roll aspect of only one speed brake deployed, but I could see ice piling up against the speed brake at an (to me) alarming rate. Lesson learned - do not deploy speed brakes in icing conditions. Yes, this was a case of an inadvertent ice encounter while IFR. In my 261, where I thought a descent made sense to get out of the icing situation, and where ATC was cooperative.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thinwing]

Nice Pics thanks for sharing...

[exM20K]

the little glare fences at the wingtips are great ice indicators: the sharp edge is one of the first surfaces to accumulate ice on the plane, and, especially at night, you'll have what look like illuminated red and green surrounds for your wing leading edge out there.  The Acclaim, sadly, doesn't have these.

 

Edited January 24, 2017 by exM20K

[Joe Zuffoletto]

9 minutes ago, exM20K said:

the little glare fences at the wingtips are great ice indicators: the sharp edge is one of the first surfaces to accumulate ice on the plane, and, especially at night, you'll have what look like illuminated red and green surrounds for your wing leading edge out there.  The Acclaim, sadly, doesn't have these.

 

True, but it does have an ice light that illuminates the entire leading edge of the wing.

[LANCECASPER]

7 hours ago, Little Dipper said:

Don't use speed brakes in ice.

Norm

 

Might not be a bad idea for those with TKS to pull the Speed Brake circuit breaker in icing conditions. Very easy to hit the button accidently with a busy stressful work load.

[aviatoreb]

5 hours ago, LANCECASPER said:

Might not be a bad idea for those with TKS to pull the Speed Brake circuit breaker in icing conditions. Very easy to hit the button accidently with a busy stressful work load.

Good point - it's easy to hit by habit and right under finger.

[ArtVandelay]

Good point - it's easy to hit by habit and right under finger.

I hate where they put the switch, I can't see it and have forgotten their up, now added it to my gumps checklist.

[Little Dipper]

19 hours ago, StevenL757 said:

Isn't TKS amazing...

It truly is, but one thing I think is important to remember is that if you ever get into conditions that TKS can not keep up with you will be in severe icing conditions an emergency situation as the aircraft won't remain airborne for long. 

[aviatoreb]

27 minutes ago, Little Dipper said:

It truly is, but one thing I think is important to remember is that if you ever get into conditions that TKS can not keep up with you will be in severe icing conditions an emergency situation as the aircraft won't remain airborne for long. 

Good point - my perspective on TKS is it is fine that I have an inadvertent system, so I only go if I am NOT expecting ice since none of the forecasting is suggesting ice in those clouds.  But .. I have (very very rarely) seen ice anyway.  But from my perspective, if I do find ice when I didn't expect it, then it is doubly unlikely to be severe icing and my tks will hopefully give me time to get out.

[jlunseth]

What bothers me most about icing encounters is not accretion.  Yes, it is not a great thing, but if you are a half-way smart pilot you did not get into it without an "out" and if the problem is ice accreting over time you have time to take that out.  I have encounter "slam ice" on just a couple of occasions.  That is my highly technical term for what happens when you fly through the wrong cloud in the wrong place at the wrong moment.  It usually happens in cumulus-type conditions, in the very tops, and in the spring when the temps are generally low.  The top of a stratus layer just before you break through in the winter, or the tops of relatively low energy cumulus in cool temps are generally the worst.

[Little Dipper]

25 minutes ago, jlunseth said:

 I have encounter "slam ice" on just a couple of occasions.  That is my highly technical term for what happens when you fly through the wrong cloud in the wrong place at the wrong moment.  It usually happens in cumulus-type conditions, in the very tops, and in the spring when the temps are generally low.  The top of a stratus layer just before you break through in the winter, or the tops of relatively low energy cumulus in cool temps are generally the worst.

I'm not going to share a long war story but that's what happened to me in 1996 descending into Pittsburgh PA KAGC on a Airlifeline (transplant) flight in the early morning hours of the night.   No ice was even in the forecast.    Decided right there and then that I wasn't flying IFR in winter anymore without de-ice. This is the very reason I bought an Ovation and had factory known-ice installed on it in Kerrville.

 

[Joe Zuffoletto]

I encountered the so-called "slam ice" once near the very top of a cumulus cloud on a spring morning over the Continental Divide. Went through the cloud in less than 3 seconds and the entire plane was instantly coated like a glazed donut. Fortunately I broke out into the sun and stayed there, so the glazing melted.

[aviatoreb]

1 hour ago, Joe Zuffoletto said:

I encountered the so-called "slam ice" once near the very top of a cumulus cloud on a spring morning over the Continental Divide. Went through the cloud in less than 3 seconds and the entire plane was instantly coated like a glazed donut. Fortunately I broke out into the sun and stayed there, so the glazing melted.

That happened to me one summers day in August I think - on an IFR flight plane in severe clear flying over nice puffy cumulus - the "friendly" looking ones - I was at 12k and most of them were scattered sparsely and just puffs of cotton up to maybe 10k but one went to maybe 12500 and I was at 12 and it was right in front of me - not worried too much and being near DC where they don't like when you deviate much I figured no worry - Ill be in and out in 5 seconds - and I was out in like 5 seconds.  But it ws like a washing machine in there and bumpy - but not crazy bumpy and I figured - huh - rain.  Well out the other side - it was a shocking amount of ice for 5 seconds.  Well - I ain't doing that again.