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  #35  
Old July 5th 04, 01:39 PM
Richard Kaplan
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"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...


How is that relevant? My airplane has NO de-ice equipment (other than

pitot
heat), I have found myself in (unreported) icing conditions a few times,

and
have never crashed, never even had any serious problems. Even so, that



The difference is that the NTSB accident reports are littered with reports
of non-deiced airplanes similar to yours which have crashed due to icing
conditions.

I am not aware of even one report to date of a TKS known-ice piston airplane
crashing due to ice.

Now that is not to say there are no limits to what I can fly in -- flying
recklessly in all weather in winter would be inappropriate. Based upon my
airplane's certification and experience I have built over time, I will fly
in light to moderate icing when tops are at or below 15,000 feet. I will
not fly in known or forecast freezing rain or freezing drizzle or severe
icing. This is all well within the certification parameters of my airplane.

What basis do you have for saying trace icing is the maximum into which I
can fly rather than moderate icing?

doesn't mean it's safe for me to fly into an area where another pilot has
already reported that ice is present. "Past results are no guarantee of
future performance".


If another pilot is reporting light to moderate icing, he is reporting a
condition in which my airplane is certified to fly. Where is the isue here?

Well, it's your prerogative as PIC to make a decision to do that. Not
something that I feel is wise though. You never know whether that other
pilot has defined the icing he experienced correctly, nor do you know
whether the conditions he found are really as bad as it might get.


No, I do not know if he has reported his conditions correctly. But I also
will depart in these conditions without any pilot reports at all -- I study
the weather systems carefully and weather forecasts and -- I say again -- I
only fly if forecasts are for no more than moderate icing and tops no
higher than 15,000 feet. This is no different from any other IFR weather
decision I make.


That said, I suppose if you're going to intentionally fly into reported
icing, the TKS system is the one to have. My understanding is that the
fluid helps protect not just the leading edges of the airfoils, but

farther
back as well, which is something the other technologies can't accomplish.


That is correct.. as I have said before, even in moderate icing conditions I
have yet to see my airspeed decay. In fact, even in moderate icing
conditions, I have yet to land in a situation where there airframe is not
clean enough to take off again. Those are extremely signficant observations
for anyone who has flown a piston airplane with boots.


threatened by it) that it's foolish to fly into an area that someone else
has already said has active icing, even if one has a known-ice certified
de-ice system installed on their light piston GA airplane.



Why is a PIREP a limiting factor? That is like saying if a VFR pilot
reports IMC I shouldn't go flying.

If a pilot of a C152 reports moderate to severe turbulence at 3,000 feet
does that mean I should not depart on my flight which is planned at FL190?


--------------------
Richard Kaplan, CFII

www.flyimc.com