"Roger Long" om wrote in
message ...
Did I miss this in my training?

I thought Pitot Heat was only needed in icing conditions. Tom Haines
column
in this months AOPA mag recommends turning it on in or near moisture at
any
temperature. Is this a typical recommendation?

Is there an effect like a carburetor that could cause ice to from in the
pitot at above freezing ambient temperatures?

Since the heat is provided by a hot filament, having it on a lot
unnecessarily would make me worry about finding that it's not there when
you
need it.

High performance aircraft will normally have Pitot Ht on at all times from
take-off to touch-down, visible moisture or not.

Some pitot tubes do have a venturi effect that can cause ice to build when
above freezing ambient temperatures.

If you don't have a [Pitot Heat] annunciator light that will alert you to a
break in continuity of your heating element, you can just check your amp
gauge to look for a current draw when you cycle the switch to confirm your
heat is working in flight. On pre-flight you can *momentarily* activate the
pitot heat and then *carefully* check that the probe is warm.

Regards,
Mish