Why do Caravans suck in ice?

[fokkers&beer]

The Caravan was my least favorite airplane that I have flown. You have that much stuff hanging off of an airplane in the Pacific NW, in the winter and the ice just loves to stick to it.
As far as the pod goes. They used a BF Goodrich agemaster kit, it didn't need any ice-x.

 

[rubicon789]

In addition to what has been posted, the cargo pod on the Grand Caravan is really bad to accumulate ice and of course, there is no boot on that.

Yes, the cargo pods are now required to have a heatplate or boot.

There is a boot on the pod, it's optional however. To add to the list of complaints, the gear is always out too. There is just a lot of unprotected areas to get ice. You really need to think realize that even though a caravan is a "Known Ice" airplane, it's a single engine plane with minimal ice protection. It only takes light ice to go from 160 kts to 120 kts.

There is a lot of finger pointing with all these crashes, I would just advice to get out of ice once getting into it.

As well as the landing gear, it now is required to have boots. For known Ice of course.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

Nobody mentioned non-pressurized therefore slogging around in the snot for longer periods of time. I think single pilot ops add also as the work load increases when in icing adding another thing to worry about.

I complain because I can't get the airspeed down in the DA50 with icing on below 10000. Just goes to show you the night freight guys flying vans, single and twin cessnas should be making the $$$$. I'm all for paying your dues but it seems that some of those dues are expensive.

 

[vallyman]

I love the van as well, it sometimes does suck in ice depending on how much and other Wx conciderations. but all in all it is a fun A/C to fly

I have been told there is a golden rule in freight:

Mission Oriented
Damage Control

 

[StarHustler]

Are you just talking out of your butt? I flew Caravans for a year. Over a dozen 208B's in my logbook and every single one had a pod boot. It's optional, but most have it.

Back to the original question, the Caravan didn't meet known ice certification standards. Cessna had to ad the backup alternator and some other things I can't recall seven years later. The general consensus was that even with the re-works, it shouldn't have been certified for known ice.

Strategies are pretty simple. Stay out of the stuff, and treat it like an IFE if you encounter it. (Do something now.) Treat your boots often. I seem to recall some folks putting ice-x on the bottom of the pod. I can't vouch for that doing anything. FN FAL may want to pipe in, I'm pretty sure he's more current and experienced on that airframe than any of us. (Especially Starhustler, who's never flown one, but would like us to think he has.)

Dude, are you always such an AZZ??!! Our Caravan does NOT have a boot on the pod and I CURRENTLY fly it 5 days per week! In fact, I just got home from another 7 hour hobbs day. So go bite me you jerk! Geez, some folks are just plain rude.

 

[Lou3]

Our Van does not have a boot on the pod either. I guess LJDVR is talking out of his butt (but he probably never flew the van but wants us to think that HE did).

 

[rway36]

The Van

I fly the caravan 5 nights a week in the great lakes region. That means 5 nights aweek of more grey hair through the winter. Yes....the caravan sucks azzzz in ice with or without the pod. Plain and simple it is a dangerous airplane in the winter months single pilot. The actual operators like to glorify the safety of it, but there azzzz is not the one out there flying it.
Just my quick rant!!!!!!!!!

 

[CaravanMan]

You can have the boot on the pod, or you can have it off. The company I worked for had a mix of both. Get a rock or two flung up there and it doesn't work too well, so they took them off of a lot of them. If you take the pod boot off then the landing gear boots have to go because they are on the same line or something (so mx told me).

 

[brokeflyer]

Bite me, lol. I loved that plane!

some people just don't learn until they get the crap scared outta them by taking a plane somewhere it aint supposed to go......

 

[CaravanMan]

some people just don't learn until they get the shoot scared outta them by taking a plane somewhere it aint supposed to go......

Well, obviously I'm alive, so I must have made some good decisions, don't you think? You have to use your head, wouldn't you agree? Why would I want to take the plane somewhere it isn't supposed to go? That's pretty stupid. I'm not arguing that the plane does well in ice, so don't get your panties ruffled man. Look back at my first post, I said the plane doesn't do well in ice. All I'm saying is I enjoyed flying the plane and would do it again. There's not too many planes you can take 175kts to the approach lights and make the first turnoff. If you have a problem with my having a good experience in that plane, so be it.

 

[NorthShore]

Wouldn't fly one again on a bet.

A testimony to the power of political lobbying at the FAA.

 

[Mason]

Flew 900 hours single pilot in the van. Never let me down once. Know its limitations in ice and fly accordingly and you'll be just fine.

 

[flyboyzii]

I flew it for 5 1/2 years in the Northwest (3500 hrs.) I got nervous a few times but never scared out of my mind. My route was only 1 hour long though, maybe an hour plus ten to shoot an approach. I carried 1200-1300 lbs of fuel. Climbed at no less than 115 kts (whatever climb I got I just delt with it) and didn't take a payload of more than 2200 lbs (Fed Ex didn't care as long as it was a safety issue) When I encoutered icing conditions I climbed, sometimes all the way up to FL180. I flew the Fed Ex feeder with boots on the pod, gear etc..... But, unlike my co-workers I bought my own can of Ice-X and applied it every Saturday after I had finished my run. No, I didn't get paid for it but to me it was cheap insurance and I wrote off the cost on my taxes anyway. It only took me about 45 minutes anyway. You just must accept the limitations of the A/C. And, I flew many times with the igniters on the whole flight in heavy precip.

 

[flyboyzii]

Sorry about the double post but I remembered that the way I shed the ice when I encountered it was to request a "block altitude" Climb to the top of the block and when I was ready to blow the boots I would pitch down..get the airspeed up to about 150-160 and then blow the boots. Then climb back up to the top of the block again. Also, if you will lightly pitch the a/c up and down just a little to change the AOA it will help shed the ice a little better.

 

[brokeflyer]

I agree it was a great airplane when I flew it too, as long as I was in florida or south texas in the winter. Im just saying it's dangeous airplane for some operators who pressure low-times who haven't learned how to say NO to a trip. In the winter I would say I cancelled 40% of my assigned trips. I'm glad I did and the day I quit that job was first day of the rest of my life.