ThermaWing de-icing system

[kevinw]

I fly a M20J with inadvertent TKS that was installed by the previous owner after a scare with icing out in California. Living in the Midwest the advantages of having it are obvious. The disadvantages are also well know; loss of speed, weight of the system, it's messy and it's supposed to be ran every month which translates to a sticky hanger floor most of the year if you do this. I run mine about every 90 days. I was browsing through the February edition of The Aviation Consumer and in an article about retrofit de-icing is a part on a company named Kelly Aerospace that makes ThermaWing, an electric de-icing system that uses a thin laminate that attaches to the leading edges of the wing and tail. It's very intriguing but not available on Mooney aircraft. This is the first I've heard of it but after reading about it I agree with the writer that this seems like the next logical step in de-icing. Wondering what others think of this. Here's a link to their website that explains how it works; not as simple as just heating the laminate. http://kellyaerospace.com/thermawing-aircraft-deice.html

[carusoam]

Find the existing thread...

Composite wings...

Extra electrical requirements...

Mooney specific STC required...

Aged memory, may not be accurate...

Best regards,

-a-

Kev, have a look here...

https://mooneyspace.com/search/

Edited January 26, 2017 by carusoam

[kevinw]

9 minutes ago, Hyett6420 said:

I raised a thread about this 10 days ago, you can have a look for my profile and should find it.  

Thanks, I missed that one.

[peevee]

Gets talked about a lot, never goes anywhere 

[Cruiser]

I don't think this is particularly suited for metal wings. Shorting the high amperes through the system to the airplane would be..... well electrifying!

[Zwaustin]

Must have been some scare to turn around and spend the coin on that on a non turbo'd bird. I had TKS (non FIKI) on my old K and I liked it and used it but would not have spent that money for inadvertent. Past owner lived in NW so I'm sure he used it. I read the same article in the most recent AV consumer and while interesting I'll stick with my boots I have now or go with TKS full FIKI unless it is a plane using bleed air to super heat that shiny leading edge.

[kevinw]

24 minutes ago, Zwaustin said:

Must have been some scare to turn around and spend the coin on that on a non turbo'd bird. I had TKS (non FIKI) on my old K and I liked it and used it but would not have spent that money for inadvertent. Past owner lived in NW so I'm sure he used it. I read the same article in the most recent AV consumer and while interesting I'll stick with my boots I have now or go with TKS full FIKI unless it is a plane using bleed air to super heat that shiny leading edge.

He told me he was in CA flying at 9000 and the wings started to ice up and rather fast. He said it quickly got to a point the it stalled. Fortunately he was able to recover but he told me it scared the hell out of him. Once back to Minnesota he ordered up the TKS. Personally, I would've bought a different plane before I spent that kind of money. In any case I'm glad I have it and I don't believe I paid any sort of premium for it. I don't fly hard IFR and ice scares the hell out of me. In four years of ownership I've only used it about five times with only one occasion the ice was building at a rate that worried me and I was glad I had it. You mentioned you have boots...I don't think I've ever seen a Mooney retrofitted with boots. I'm curious what, if any, the speed penalty is.

[Zwaustin]

46 minutes ago, kevinw said:

He told me he was in CA flying at 9000 and the wings started to ice up and rather fast. He said it quickly got to a point the it stalled. Fortunately he was able to recover but he told me it scared the hell out of him. Once back to Minnesota he ordered up the TKS. Personally, I would've bought a different plane before I spent that kind of money. In any case I'm glad I have it and I don't believe I paid any sort of premium for it. I don't fly hard IFR and ice scares the hell out of me. In four years of ownership I've only used it about five times with only one occasion the ice was building at a rate that worried me and I was glad I had it. You mentioned you have boots...I don't think I've ever seen a Mooney retrofitted with boots. I'm curious what, if any, the speed penalty is.

You are right that there is not that much of a premium for it on the used market but it is a nice feature to have and depending what plane it is on can add fair value. I have boots now on my 421C but i had the inadvertent TKS on a 231 i just sold to a mooneyspacer fairly local to me.

[kevinw]

17 minutes ago, Zwaustin said:

You are right that there is not that much of a a premium for it on the used market but it is a nice feature to have and depending what plane it is on can add fair value. I have boots now in my 421C but i had the inadvertent TKS on a 231 i just sold to a mooneyspacer fairly local to me.

I remember that listing. Great looking K, love the paint scheme. 

[peevee]

I wish they could work something out reasonably priced for inadvertent. I'd take boots, thermawing, heck I'd take tks if I could even get a quote.