REFLECTOR: IFR and icing question

[John Abraham]

Peter

Clear ice just adds weight and rime will make your speed drop a bit with it. Sometimes you can out climb it but the ice never goes away until you are in the flight levels or higher where there is dry air to sublimate the ice. Out west lower isn't an option most of the time to warmer air. 

Things to consider:
Your propeller is de-iced from the exhaust so you will always produce thrust. However, it is a good idea to have an alternate air for the engine in the event your inlet starts to freeze over. 

Heated pitot and alternate static allow you to make sure you know what your airspeed is doing. (With the sorcerer auto pilot, since you can program airspeed parameters, you will go into a dive if your pitot ices over). 

The aircraft will carry a lot of ice. I have gotten stuck in layers before that I don't care to get vectored into again. Unfortunately some times you don't have a choice which makes the Velocity a safe platform. You have a lot of lifting area on the aircraft. As long as your speed is good and you can maintain altitude you should be fine. 

I have had about 3/8" or so all over the aircraft. The annoying thing is that when you land and come out to the plane the next morning, unless you have a heated hanger, the ice will still be there.  

This is part of the reason the outer canard tips go up now. The low pressure on the older down pointing ones would allow for ice build up. Except I believe it would build up inwards instead on back. (Scott Swing might be able to give you more information on this). DISCLAIMER* this doesn't mean the old designs are faulty. 

If you have a decent amount of ice built up,  when you get low enough or warm, it can come off in sheets. I haven't ever seen propeller damage but it does get your attention because when it comes off the canard it will vibrate hard for a second due to air foil change. (If you have ever had a shimmy, it feels like the initial wheel touch down on the first shimmy). 

Anyway, I hope this helps you out a bit. 

Safe flying,
John

On Oct 16, 2012, at 5:29 PM, Scott Baker <scottb33333 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello Peter,
> There have been several reports on the Reflector that speak to your question.
> One story comes from Jack Sheehan (Seaford, VA) on a flight in the pacific northwest.  Give Jack a call to discuss details.
> Bottom line is that the aircraft will ice, that the windscreen is also prone to ice, that the aircraft continues to fly - and that if caught in icing conditions, the suggested action is to add some speed while looking for an "out".
> To the best of my knowledge, prop ice has not been a factor, nor has ice that has been shed hitting the propeller.
> Never been there myself.  Imagine icing encounter is a sobering experience.
> Best,
> Scott Baker
> 
> 
> On 10/16/2012 12:07 PM, Peter Braswell wrote:
>> All,
>> A friend of mine and I were talking about IFR flying this morning when he posed an interesting question.
>> 
>> While we both know that flying into known icing conditions in an A/C not properly equipped is a strict no-no, it does sometimes happen that we pick up rime ice or structural ice until we can get out of the conditions causing it.  For anybody that has had this type of experience in the Velocity, are there any special considerations specific to this aircraft?  For example, does the canard become critical quickly causing pitch issues?  The wing?  The prop?
>> 
>> Interested to hear an experience with regard to the Velocity, IFR and marginal weather.
>> 
>> -Peter
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