The following article appeared in the November 2020 issue of the American Bonanza Society magazine - www.bonanza.org
Type-specific training and insurance checkouts for new Bonanza and Baron owners are mostly what I do as an instructor. Lately, I have had a number of clients take delivery of some very well-equipped aircraft, including ones that sport TKS systems or hot props. As part of my systems review, the topic of managing icing conditions seems to foster quite a bit of discussion – especially for folks with the TKS system.
Working through various scenarios ultimately incites excitement in the new Bonanza owner on firing up this expensive equipment and putting it to use. Unfortunately, what I also see is lack of enthusiasm for the rest of the anti-ice and de-ice features of the aircraft, lack of understanding of their use, and subsequent lack of preflight planning for wintertime flight. Some pilots see having TKS as a ticket into icing conditions, when in fact, there are very few Bonanzas and Barons certified for Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI), and even if you are flying one of these aircraft, understanding the current inflight conditions and ensuring you have a plan to exit icing conditions at some point is an important aspect of staying alive.
Preflight and Systems Checks
As important as having the equipment is testing it. I find that many pilots enjoy exercising their TKS system if nothing else than to comply with the manufacturer’s recommendations:
Running the system every 30 days keeps the moving parts lubricated, the lines and panels relatively charged, and would give advanced warning of any failure.
Ensuring the system is running and that is has a full reservoir prior to flight is important. TKS fluid is expensive, but it’s relatively cheap compared to potential maintenance issues and that flight where you end up running out of fluid prematurely and wish you had filled the reservoir. The company responsible for the TKS system –CAV Systems – has a website with a great FAQ that I encourage all TKS system owners to review: (https://www.cav-systems.com/support/faq/).
Those of you with pneumatic boots aren’t exempt from pre-flighting these systems. Performing a preflight just the other day, I was admiring how nice the boots were looking on a twin that I have been flying lately. They obviously haven’t been exercised in some time, and come to think of it, I don’t think I “popped the boots” since the owner had them dressed back in March! Ensuring the boots properly inflate is an easy check to perform as part of the Before Takeoff checklist. I was recently flying with a pilot and noticed that the deice boots inflated a little bit as we took off and stayed inflated as we flew. Very doubtful they would provide much value in any kind of icing encounter.
Checks of heated elements are equally important. Is the prop heated? When was the last time you checked it? How about the pitot heat? I find that many pilots forget about turning on the pitot heat when entering visible moisture that may be below freezing. No matter the temperature, I try to instill the habit of turning on pitot heat any time visible moisture is expected so that a routine is developed. This will come in handy as pilots transition to pressurized aircraft that routinely fly in temperatures below freezing all year, and will help them be prepared when it is 60 degrees on the ground and find themselves picking up ice at 9,000 feet.
Oftentimes during pre-flight and again during pre-takeoff checks, pilots check to see if the amperage rises when the pitot heat is turned on. But that doesn’t always cut it. I flew with a pilot where we tested the pitot heat and found that while we were getting amperage draw, the tube wasn’t heating up. This may seem impossible, but sometimes these old pieces of equipment develop problems that don’t always pop a breaker. Also to consider, many aircraft have the pitot heat circuit tied to the stall warning vane heat, heated fuel vents, heated static ports, and a host of other heating elements. Are your static ports heated? This is a preflight check item that rarely happens and brings about blank stares when I ask.
Knowing your amperage draw with everything working is important since you may still show an amperage draw if one of those systems is not functioning properly. But a proper preflight check would be to carefully check them on the ground. I say carefully because a pitot tube can heat up quickly to the point where if it’s touched, it can send the pilot to the emergency room. What I encourage all pilots to have in their hangar is one of those non-contact laser/infrared temperature guns. I purchased mine online for less than $20.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS
While there is quite a bit of excitement about turning on the TKS system to “test it out,” I start to get glazed eyes when I start to talk about pitot heat, defrosters, and alternate air as tools in everyone’s arsenal when it comes to safe winter operations.
As mentioned earlier, I encourage pilots to turn on the pitot heat any time they are entering instrument meteorological conditions. This may be old hat to some of the seasoned wintertime flyers in our group, but for the folks transitioning into more capable equipment, those doing more instrument flying or even the new instrument pilot, the defroster is sometimes a long-forgotten tool in the icing toolbelt. Ensuring the defroster is turned on high before experiencing airframe icing may give you the visibility you need when landing. Ice can and does form on surfaces other than just the wings and propellers.
Speaking of which, induction ice is also of concern. Thankfully, our Bonanzas and Barons are equipped with rudimentary automation when it comes to ice (or contaminants) blocking airflow in our air intake filter. When was the last time you checked to make sure this works? Depending on your model of Beechcraft, there are a couple of ways. You might have an alternate air handle in the cockpit, which is to be used if you suspect the alternate air door isn’t automatically opening. It can also be used on preflight to determine if the alternate air door is sticking or not moving for some reason. Discuss the operation of the alternate air system with your mechanic so you understand how this works for your model of Bonanza.
CONCLUSION
It’s hard to believe I am talking about winter flying especially since, as I am writing this, it is a balmy 88 degrees here in Chicago. But as time slips away, we will soon find ourselves in situations where the freezing level is right smack in the middle of our typical cruising altitudes and, later, all the way to the ground – causing even more complication. These are just a few notes that I have gathered from some of the post-purchase checkouts I have done with new Bonanza and Baron owners, and should not be a substitute for an extensive conversation with your CFII about managing icing conditions, flying in instrument conditions, or thorough preflight checks of all of your systems.
There are many considerations to undertake when flying in the winter and flying in weather conducive to icing. Flying with an instructor knowledgeable about our very capable Beechcraft is a good reason to fly with a BPPP instructor.