Worth it?

Depends on what you fly, where you fly, and how important it is to be able to fly when icing appears possible but not likely.
 
Tom-D said:
Retrofitting a known ice system on a non de-iced aircraft is not cheap. there is a lot more to buy than just boots.

your aircraft best be worth the investment.
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It takes a lot more than the TKS wings/tail edges to make a plane FIKI-certified. Just adding what's advertised in that link gives you additional peace of mind in case of inadvertant penetration of unexpected icing, but it doesn't give you either the permission or ability to drive into real known icing conditions.
 
Ron Levy said:
It takes a lot more than the TKS wings/tail edges to make a plane FIKI-certified. Just adding what's advertised in that link gives you additional peace of mind in case of inadvertant penetration of unexpected icing, but it doesn't give you either the permission or ability to drive into real known icing conditions.
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I agree.... there are millions of dollars worth of testing to get that medal.:yesnod::yesnod::yesnod:

Ben.
 
Ron Levy said:
It takes a lot more than the TKS wings/tail edges to make a plane FIKI-certified. Just adding what's advertised in that link gives you additional peace of mind in case of inadvertant penetration of unexpected icing, but it doesn't give you either the permission or ability to drive into real known icing conditions.
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I know that, that is why I said, "there is a lot more to buy than just boots".

Plus the aircraft must have it listed as a optional equipment or it's a major alteration, there better be a STC because the boots change the airfoil on a lifting surface.. so it will be a real pain the get it approved. think lots of flight testing in icing conditions. It will be a rare day that you could find a ASI to buy off on that.
 
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TKS has STC's for a FIKI installation in several planes, and I recall Barons, Caravans, and C210's. They also do non FIKI retrofits on Bonanzas and others.

Simply adding boots does not provide protection to the props or windshield. Boots require continued maintenance, need replacement, take away around 5k airspeed, and require larger pressure pumps. Then still need a hot plate and heated props or alcohol slinger, which may or may not even be available or STC'd. The boot install alone was around 35k.

For the extra 10k, I went with TKS on my Baron and am happy with the installation. It used the existing prop slingers and spray bar, and has approval for FIKI. Like any anti or deice system, it can be overcome in severe conditions, but I have not encountered this.

The worst conditions I encountered were once over western Michigan and going over Lake Michigan westbound. I had several "outs" available, but the commercial traffic going into Detroit were all calling ice reports, etc. The TKS worked well, and even though the nose and spinners picked up ice, there was no ice on the flying surfaces. Even then it was a little tense, but the system did it's job.

Given the choice, I would pick TKS over boots again any day.
 
Since TKS doesn't offer a kit for a 310 I have to wait for Kelly to bring out their hot pad deicing system which was pretty interesting at OSH.
 
I would rather have the turbo option than the TKS. With the TKS you have some drawbacks like:

1. You loose 100 pounds on payload

2. Limited to two to three hours of in-flight use

3. It takes forever to de-ice an already iced wing

4. You loose about 5kts

5. At least $40K to have it installed

With the turbo option you can outfly the freezing levels, have greater speeds and climb performance in any weather all the time.

José
 
Apples and oranges. A TN install would cost around 100k, if there were even one available for my twin. It does nothing for ice protection.
 
Piloto said:
2. Limited to two to three hours of in-flight use
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The typical response to this is "If you're in icing for that long, you're doing something wrong." Which I'd agree with.

3. It takes forever to de-ice an already iced wing
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Improper use of the system. It's anti-ice, not de-ice.

With the turbo option you can outfly the freezing levels, have greater speeds and climb performance in any weather all the time.
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Definitely a turbo gives you more flexibility overall, but it really depends on the situation.

Personally, I wouldn't buy de/anti-ice as an aftermarket option. I'd just find a plane that already has it.
 
One thing to add - in Austin's case, since he doesn't own a plane, it'd make more sense to look for one that's already been converted (since the resale value of the added ice equipment would be negligible compared to its install cost).

If, however, you already own an aircraft that is otherwise in good condition, that you've put money into to make how you want it and you know it well, it might make more sense to then add the equipment if it suits your new needs.
 
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