Winter and Clouds. What am I missing?

So would it be acceptable to climb through a cloud layer if there is no forecast risk of SLD and no temperature inversion and the temperatures stay below freezing from the surface on up? I assume that the answer is "maybe/sometimes".

What if you take off with a surface temp of -10c to -15c and it only gets colder as you climb?
"maybe/sometimes" :D
 
So would it be acceptable to climb through a cloud layer if there is no forecast risk of SLD and no temperature inversion and the temperatures stay below freezing from the surface on up? I assume that the answer is "maybe/sometimes".

What if you take off with a surface temp of -10c to -15c and it only gets colder as you climb?

The link in post #6 is reputed to be a good source of information and instruction for answering that type of question.
 
The link in post #6 is reputed to be a good source of information and instruction for answering that type of question.

After I pay the $119/yr entry fee, which video do I need to watch to get the answer to this question? Is it one of the premium videos for $99 after the initial $119? or do I need to buy the one on one training to get this answer at $89 per hour?

I am not trying to dog on this guy and his experience, but it would seem feasible that others in the industry, possibly on this forum for that matter may be willing to share this kind of information free of charge.
 
After I pay the $119/yr entry fee, which video do I need to watch to get the answer to this question? Is it one of the premium videos for $99 after the initial $119? or do I need to buy the one on one training to get this answer at $89 per hour?

I am not trying to dog on this guy and his experience, but it would seem feasible that others in the industry, possibly on this forum for that matter may be willing to share this kind of information free of charge.

I haven't delved into it myself, but my understanding is that the state of the art in making icing go/no-go decisions involves learning how to use skew-T log-p charts, and that it's not something that can be covered in a message board post. A Google search turns up quite a lot of resources:

https://www.google.com/search?q=ske...illa:en-US:official&channel=sb&q=skew-t+log-p
 
Cant you just use the icing airmets? If there is an airmet for icing, its a no go?
 
Being a relatively new IFR pilot, I tend to be extremely conservative when flying in the winter.

That being said, the last couple of days (while comfortably on the ground) I noticed some cloud situations that made me wonder if I could safely venture through them.

Given:
  • temps below freezing from the ground on up

  • base of layer about 3,000' AGL

  • layer about 1,000' thick

Would climbing through a layer like that ever cause icing issues, or am I just being a worry-wart? I would clear it in 1-2 minutes....
It could. It might not. There are just too many variable to give any sort of reliable answer without a lot more information. And unless you know a lot more about icing than your questions suggests you do, you probably can't determine that.
 
So would it be acceptable to climb through a cloud layer if there is no forecast risk of SLD and no temperature inversion and the temperatures stay below freezing from the surface on up? I assume that the answer is "maybe/sometimes".

What if you take off with a surface temp of -10c to -15c and it only gets colder as you climb?
Read this letter carefully and thoroughly and then try answering your own questions. If you can't come up with an answer on your own, I think you need to go get Scott Dennstaedt's "Ice is not Nice" training package and learn a lot more about icing before you try sticking your nose into such conditions.
 
So would it be acceptable to climb through a cloud layer if there is no forecast risk of SLD and no temperature inversion and the temperatures stay below freezing from the surface on up? I assume that the answer is "maybe/sometimes".

What if you take off with a surface temp of -10c to -15c and it only gets colder as you climb?
I apologize for the short reply I made this morning, I'm sure it wasn't helpful :nonod:
Assuming we're still talking about a 1000 ft thick cloud layer, yes given these conditions you'd be unlikely to get in trouble.
There's a couple of factors to consider; the expected rate of accretion and the exposure time. Let's assume your airplane is capable of climbing at a rate of 1000 fpm clean (ice free). Depending on conditions your normal (clean) climb rate can degrade rather quickly if you start picking up ice but it's hard to imagine in the conditions you describe that you wouldn't be able to climb on top of the layer.
 
Read this letter carefully and thoroughly and then try answering your own questions. If you can't come up with an answer on your own, I think you need to go get Scott Dennstaedt's "Ice is not Nice" training package and learn a lot more about icing before you try sticking your nose into such conditions.


Interesting letter. I was not expecting to see this type of response by the FAA.

"The FAA does not necessarily consider the mere presence of clouds (which may only contain ice crystals) or other forms of visible moisture at temperatures at or below freezing to be conducive to the formation of known ice or to constitute known icing conditions."


.
 
I apologize for the short reply I made this morning, I'm sure it wasn't helpful :nonod:
Assuming we're still talking about a 1000 ft thick cloud layer, yes given these conditions you'd be unlikely to get in trouble.
There's a couple of factors to consider; the expected rate of accretion and the exposure time. Let's assume your airplane is capable of climbing at a rate of 1000 fpm clean (ice free). Depending on conditions your normal (clean) climb rate can degrade rather quickly if you start picking up ice but it's hard to imagine in the conditions you describe that you wouldn't be able to climb on top of the layer.

Thanks.
 
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