Tips For Flying in ICE

[Jpilot23]

just wondering if any of you had tips for flying in ice. I don't have hardly any experiance at all and i'll be flying 135 in 310s in this stuff starting jan. Just bored at work and wanted to see what ya'll think...thanks

 

[FL420]

How about doing a search on this site. Several of us have posted links to some excellent online training for dealing with winter conditions. I'm often too lazy to do my own research but danged if I'll do someone elses.

Edit:
Sorry about being so snappish. That happens when I read garbage about the Age 60 thing.

These should help:

NASA
http://aircrafticing.grc.nasa.gov/courses.html

AOPA/ASF
http://www.aopa.org/asf/safety_topics.html#weather

http://www.aopa.org/asf/hotspot/winter_preflight.html

 

[G-force]

Icing conditions

just wondering if any of you had tips for flying in ice. I don't have hardly any experiance at all and i'll be flying 135 in 310s in this stuff starting jan. Just bored at work and wanted to see what ya'll think...thanks

the best tip is...DO NOT FLY A CE-310 in ICING CONDITIONS!!!!!!!

 

[paulsalem]

Usually just a change of a few thousand feet will result in an area without icing. Even if you're still IMC.

Usually the tops of the clouds hold more mositure than the mid or bases. So you'll get more ice up there.

If you have the option of climbing and decending, climb. You can always decend, you can't always climb. (Decend if you KNOW that there is no ice below you, warm temps or clear air).

No matter how light the ice may be, try to get out of it, don't just hang out blowing the boots.

 

[414Flyer]

If you are pretty iced up coming into land, do not use full flaps. Consider no flaps. You dont want big angle of attack changes when iced up.

Also do not chop the power in the flare when iced up, unless you want to discover how to really plant an airplane.

When you start getting ice, keep a close eye on your airspeed. You will see how you still start losing airspeed and you have to add power. Keep in the back of your head how fast you are getting ice and how long you are from landing

Some freight dogs bring sections of rubbing hosing to beat ice off of the wings.

Also, do not just icing solely by looking at the wings. Realize that the horizon stab is a pretty efficient collector of ice, and once that gets really iced up and stalls, you will wish that was not you in the plane.

 

[avbug]

Rule #1 Neither you, nor your airplane, were ever meant to fly in ice. When was the last time you saw a bird flying with iced wings?

Rule #2 There are two types of ice protection; anti-ice, and de-ice. Anti-ice is primarily intended to prevent ice...you are primarily intended to prevent ice. Avoid ice, prevent ice. There's a connection. De-ice is designed to remove ice. Often, it cannot. You cannot. There's a connection. Therefore, de-ice is really best handled as anti-ice.

Rule #3 You'll hear rumors that ice bridging is myth. It isn't.

Rule #4 Ice and frost affects your aircraft performance more than you think it will. Act accordingly.

Rule #5 When your airplane is iced, it is no longer your airplane. It is another airplane, and does not necessarily respond to the same airspeeds, control inputs, or expectations that your former, uniced airplane did.

Rule #6 Your anti-icing equipment is subject to failure. Plan accordingly.
This is never a matter of if. It's always a matter of when.

Rule #7 Know your environment. Know what's above you, below you, ahead of you, and just as importantly, what is behind you. Never fail to consider what is behind you, and don't let something be behind you force you into having to accept what lies ahead of you.

Rule #8 On a slick runway, always slow enough on landing that you must add power to taxi clear of the runway.

Rule #9 Anti-skid is not anti-slide. Reverse may not be rearward in nature. If you don't like where you're going when you apply brakes, reverse, or any other control input, then put things back where they were when life was good.

Rule #10 You have the right, the responsibility, and sometimes the obligation to say NO. Respect it.

 

[Jackass79]

Utilize all the information you have at your disposal, pre flight planning etc, ATC/Flight service are very helpful, they know its tough.

# If you are departing into icing conditions ask ATC or any inbound a/c what the tops are, if possible get on top.

# Never depart with any ice/frost on the wings/airframe, You will hear some people say it is ok, IT IS NOT!

#Stay out of freezing rain at all costs!!

#Do not rely on De-Ice equip, boots etc, they do fail.

# If approaching with a load of ice, use a much higher than normal approach speed with little or no flap.

# If approaching into a area of bad icing or freezing rain, request to ATC to be vectored for the localizer a long way out/higher if you are top of the weather, that way you can make a straight in approach.

# Always do a fuel drain to check for water before taking off, a little bit of water in the fuel will freeze, and block the filter or fuel line. The think it was bad before, try it single engine!

# Most important rule for IFR esp when ice is involved, ALWAYS ALWAYS have a plan B!

Enjoy your time, I did. You will learn a lot about the WX and about making true command decisions!

 

[eddie]

I flew a 310 during a Wisconsin winter. It did really well in ice, just keep your speed up during landing, it will stall very early if you can't shed all the ice. I should say that the plane I flew had newer boots, they were excellent.

Also, almost everytime I've encountered ice, climbing or decending a couple thousand feet gets you out of it. Just make your decision to change altitudes earlier rather than later to ensure that you still have the performance to climb out of it. The only storms that really concerned me were winter storms in California (those are some thick clouds!)

 

[timeoff]

Stupid question alert.

Does the application of a spray silicone/teflon to the leading edges prior to flight have any effect on ice accumulation? I'm in FL and I have never flow in weather below 40 degrees

 

[time builder]

Typically, if you've got boots, you'll want to get out of there before you lose 10 Kts IAS. Bear in mind that if you go higher, you usually get colder, so whatever you accumulate on the way up, you're likely to keep.

Speed will help your boots pop the ice off.

Also know where your plane is not protected, some C208 operators have learned this lesson the hard way and have installed boots on the pod and wingstruts since. Even still those planes have a hard time.

Other areas without ice protection can include your wingtips, landing gear and and your radome.