In flight icing risk for composite vs metal?

[FlyGirlKHWO]

I own a Grumman Tiger (AA5b) and have no experience with LSAs and other composite-based birds, but I'm curious if there's any difference in their susceptibility to structural icing... it seems that metal would get colder than composite, but I'm no engineer.

Anyone with info on that?

 

[JHW]

no difference

 

[gismo]

The material itself isn't a factor in ice accumulation or the effect of that. But the airfoil shape is a factor for both and some composites have sharp nosed highly laminar flow airfoils which are generally both good ice collectors and more significantly affected by ice accumulation. But it's not that fiberglass is more susceptible to icing issues but rather the ability to create wing shapes more easily that are.

 

[W. Stewart]

The material itself isn't a factor in ice accumulation or the effect of that. But the airfoil shape is a factor for both and some composites have sharp nosed highly laminar flow airfoils which are generally both good ice collectors and more significantly affected by ice accumulation. But it's not that fiberglass is more susceptible to icing issues but rather the ability to create wing shapes more easily that are.

What Lance said. Plus, you are in Florida, so you don't have to worry as much, anyway! (Especially in an LSA?)

Wells

 

[steingar]

I think the risk pertains far more to the judgement of the pilot than the material of the aircraft.

 

[gismo]

I think the risk pertains far more to the judgement of the pilot than the material of the aircraft.

With few exceptions that's probably true for almost any aspect of aircraft design.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I own a Grumman Tiger (AA5b) and have no experience with LSAs and other composite-based birds, but I'm curious if there's any difference in their susceptibility to structural icing... it seems that metal would get colder than composite, but I'm no engineer.

Anyone with info on that?

No difference, as others have mentioned - Metal doesn't get colder, it simply conducts heat better than most other materials so when you touch it, it feels cold (it is simply conducting the heat away from your skin more quickly than other materials would).

 

[FlyGirlKHWO]

Thank you for all the replies! I am in FL, but one never knows when I might get the itch to fly north!

Anyway, it was more of a intellectual curiosity-type query... at the moment, my hubby and I own a Tiger... but an LSA is a gleam in his eye, I'm afraid!

not rich enough to own two planes,

Allison

 

[tsts4]

Thank you for all the replies! I am in FL, but one never knows when I might get the itch to fly north!

Anyway, it was more of a intellectual curiosity-type query... at the moment, my hubby and I own a Tiger... but an LSA is a gleam in his eye, I'm afraid!

not rich enough to own two planes,

Allison

OK, to have icing you have to have visible moisture. So it follows to pickup inadvertent icing you have to be flying in that moisture meaning that logically you are most likely in IMC. While a given LSA might be equipped IAW 91.205 for night and IFR flight, you couldn't operate it as a Sport Pilot in IMC (note I'm not talking FIKI, just IMC where icing conditions might exist), you'd have to still have to hold a medical and operate as a Private Pilot. As a result, if you want to fly IFR, an LSA is most likely not in your future. Of course, unless FIKI equipped, you'd be trying to avoid icing conditions whether the aircraft was an LSA or not.