A Cool Subject... NO?

For those of us who have "hit the boots" (or the equivalent system on your favorite bird) a few times in the last few days due to the ever-present seasonal 'charms' of in-flight icing, we thought a series of short tips from Cirrus Design's Scott Winter (yes, that IS his real name) might help us all to consider some of the realities of this time of year. So... here is the fourth of seven tips for dealing with icing. Y'all be careful out there!

Aero-Tip #4: Escape Method Examples

EXAMPLE 1:
When flying in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), you are level at 6,000 feet MSL. The minimum enroute altitude is below you at 3,000 feet. After being level in cruise for 30 minutes, you notice that the temperature aloft is lower than forecasted and is below freezing. Shortly afterwards, you begin noticing ice accumulating on your aircraft.

What should you do?

Considering the temperature is only slightly below freezing at 6,000, check surface temperatures, as long as it is warmer below, a descent is probably the best course of action.

EXAMPLE 2:
Your aircraft is in IMC at 5,000 feet. The aircraft begins accumulating ice. You query ATC for PIREPs and find that the cloud tops are only 1,000 feet above you.

What should you do?

In this example the best method would probably be to climb into VFR conditions on top. This will cause you to exit the immediate danger of icing. However, you must remember that if your destination is IFR, you may be forced to descend through the ice on approach. Once out of the ice on top, check for alternate airports that may be out of the icing area or in VFR conditions.

About Scott Winter

At the time that this series was authored, Scott was a member of the Flight Standards Department at Cirrus Design Corporation in Duluth, MN (one of those places that see more than its fair share of icing encounters). Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, he discovered his passion for aviation at an early age. After obtaining his Private Pilot Certificate prior to his senior year in high school, he attended Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree majoring in Professional Flight. In December 2006, he completed his Master's of Science degree from MSU spending time focusing on aviation weather, scenario-based training, and visualization techniques to enhance the methods used to educate aviators.

Note: ANN thanks Cirrus Pilot William Dobson for the use of the excellent SR20 icing pix...

FMI: www.cirrusdesign.com, www.aopa.org/asf/publications/sa11.pdf