Originally Posted by bullshot
he asked me "what is the best way to de-ice the airplane?"............"Have the Airplane towed into a heated hangar". Obvious really and I felt rather silly.
And how long do you have to leave it there for the fuel and wings to heat up enough that stuff is not going to refreeze on it when you tow it back outside? Hint: the specific heat of fuel and alu is quite high, and that of air is quite low.
I was in Tahoe once with an Archer in winter, after a moderately warm day, and got frost. I went into the FBO for a deice, and was introduced to a somewhat cocky mechanic who suggested he would deal with it quickly, and came out with an engine heater. I thought "this is going to be an educational experience that he seems to need". He blew it all away, said "there you are" and went back inside. I waited some, oh, three minutes, went and fetched him and asked him what he was going to do next. Then he did it properly. If I'd been the FBO, I would have had a serious scare about my insurance policy.
PBL