Originally Posted by
IO540
Very effective in the winter (and summer) when you are in precipitation
Not sure you meant to say that, SB
Precipitation above 0C is just fine; precipitation below 0C is
freezing rain which is potentially quite nasty and I am not sure TKS would cope with it too well.
Also, with the full TKS system, isn't there a "standby" setting which you are supposed to use when flying below 0C? This is to prevent the tiny holes getting blocked up. With a prop-only TKS this isn't much of an issue because the dispenser tubes are about 3mm diameter.
In my experience of crossing frontal systems (usually when flying in cloud within airways where the tops are well above my max ceiling) precip is inevitable as are turbulence and icing (when the conditions are right). The TKS prevents significant buildup and the Mooney system covers the whole airframe from prop (slinger ring and heated boots at blade roots) to windshield (2 separate pumps) leading edges of wings and empennage.
Ice accumulation can be brutally rapid when crossing fronts. The landing light area of my leading edge (the only non-TKS part) can sometimes have several centimetres of ice stuck to it.
Significant precip is not usually of long duration and the deicing has never failed to take care of it. It really is a great system - lots of redundancy.
The system operates in 2 modes, normal and max - max initially to prime the system and the normal once the ice has been shed. The holes do not block if the system is off and you pick up a little glaciation - since the system is under pressure the fluid is forced out under the ice causing it to be shed.
I do not switch the TKS on until I see ice. Sometimes this can happen at +3C in lightish precip, sometimes there is no accumulation at -2C in more significant precip. Really depends on whether the ice wants to stick or not. If it is 0C and I am in rain I do not waste the fluid unless the airframe is accumulating ice. I may need the TKS later and as there is a limited supply I prefer to use it in short bursts.
Don't get me wrong, I think that the best place for ice is in a martini and I do not seek out icing conditions. The TKS helps get you through sections of air where life would become uncomfortable without it, places where venturing without deicing would be extremely risky.
SB