CC5- Like I mentioned in my previous post...ice begins to accrue
at the wipers elbow. If you have windshield Anti-ice......leave it on in the operating temp range. Do Not turn the system off.
That will only add to a potential bad situation if and when you encounter the cold stuff!
I flew UH-60's back in the old days, and we had a very complex
Blade De-ice system that allowed for symetrical shedding into known or forecasted moderate iceing. The ice was measured by a sensor wire that was out side the number two engine. So moderate was moderate to the Hawk! Even with the system working, it was very scary flying in 'moderate iceing', terrible whistleing sounds, heavy lateral vibes every few seconds caused by the shedding, and the power/airspeed ratio increasing!
The biggest fear we had was what the flight manual warned concerning heavy and severe iceing: The potential to lose autorotation capability. Having said that, with all the Blade De-ice, Engine Anti-ice/ Inlet Anti-ice and Windshield Anti-ice systems,
IMC was a regular occurance at +4 degrees or less in cloud......but still very scary. Most civil heli's cannot afford the weight penalty, let alone the cost for such systems. I think the
person that comes up with a viable system for light/medium IFR
heli's, will have reached a hero status on the same level as
Igor S!
