Windows iced up

[Skybrd]

I just read an web article about a mooney on a cross country flight and his glass got iced up. He later got in clear skies but the glass stayed iced. My plane has a heater but its not very good. I wouldn't want to have my glass freeze up. Have you had any problems with this? Didn't this cause a mooney to crash at Denver?

[takair]

Depends on temps that you can get to. If below freezing it may still sublimate. The heater will have minimal, but some impact. If it remains on, you have some options. You can still see out the side. Lindbergh pretty much crossed the Atlantic this way. It is not ideal, but doable (ask me how I know). Using a published approach and getting an IFR clearance may be a good idea as well. That will get you close to the runway without hitting things. You can then transition to the side window and if you're lucky you will have a slit at the base of the windshield. The bigger problem with a Mooney is how much ice remains on the airframe. If it stayed on the windshield, it is likely on the wings and tail. You will need to keep the approach speed up and not do anything drastic. Once again, an ILS to a long runway is worthwhile.

[mulro767]

I hear this a lot from Mooney pilots. I've been lucky enough not to get the windshield iced up or any other part of the airplane for that matter. But I've had a good amount of frost in the morning and fog inside when it's cold out. My heater in my J is almost too much heat at the floor. Even at 10,000' at -10c I have to cycle the heat on and off because it just gets too warm. Even if I barely crack it open. The defrost works just as well. But I'd imagine that ice would be a bit harder to get off. Best stay out!

[aviatoreb]

Do you mean outside the window from icing conditions or inside the window from high humidity including your breathing / my car does that in frigid cold conditions like <-20f

[Skybrd]

Do you mean outside the window from icing conditions or inside the window from high humidity including your breathing / my car does that in frigid cold conditions like <-20f

Outside

[carusoam]

If using heat, most Mooney heaters make more heat at lower altitudes...the opposite of LOP at 12,000'

Increased EGT=Increased heater output.

Best regards,

-a-

[unicom]

I can only confirm... If you find yourself in icing conditions, your windshield will get frozen, as a matter of fact, faster than any other part of the aircraft !!!

If you then manage to get in clear sky with a temperature well below zero, the 'heater' won't defrost your windshield.

Philippe

[N201MKTurbo]

When I was younger and the rules were a more lax I flew in icing more then I should have. This was in my 67 M20F. The heater will only clear about a one inch strip near the bottom of the windshield. I found it effective to get a credit card from your wallet, stick your arm out the side window and scrape the ice off the windshield. I have landed with my only outside visability being the open side window.

[kurtsnyder]

When I was younger and the rules were a more lax I flew in icing more then I should have. This was in my 67 M20F. The heater will only clear about a one inch strip near the bottom of the windshield. I found it effective to get a credit card from your wallet, stick your arm out the side window and scrape the ice off the windshield. I have landed with my only outside visability being the open side window.

This actually made me laugh out loud!! Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. This actually sounds like a very good solution!

[201er]

I guess it might be a good measure to leave the windshield heater on for a long time prior to entering IMC in winter so that if it's warm enough that it doesn't ice to begin with you'll be in better shape. Most likely you're only transitioning layers rather than staying in it for too long so if you can prevent the buildup in the first place, it's a lot easier than melting it off later.

[jetdriven]

Also try closing the console vent with the heat on full and the cabin air on half to full. This diverts the air from that vent to the windshield defogger vents. They both have the same source for air. Our center vent can heat up a Jimmy Dean breakfast burrito, and one M20K pilot reported it melted his fuel selector to where he couldn't switch tanks.

[fantom]

Think side slip....

[201er]

Think side slip....

I thought about that but a Mooney doesn't go sideways like a cub. Must be the rudder...