2009 Cirrus SR22
(continued) There's more capacity and backups galore with the FIKI system. There are three pumps, two tanks and system display capability. When filled, the two 4-gallon tanks give the system 2.5 hours of capacity, automatically cycling between the tanks to keep the levels roughly even. On the MFD you've got a display that shows you the amount of fluid in each tank, the length of available deicing time in the system at each of the three flow rates (max, high and normal), and even the range available under current conditions.
On the day that I went flying in the new SR22, there was, believe it or not, icing forecast over a wide swath of Central Texas. And with a 600-foot ceiling at KAUS and even lower down at San Antonio, where we were headed, the fact of the matter was, it was the perfect day to be FIKI equipped.
As is so often the case, even though ice was forecast, there wasn't any of it in the clouds. In fact, there was quite a temperature inversion, and freezing rain had been forecast further north. On the ground at Austin it was just above freezing, but by the time we got to 5,000 feet, the OAT was 50° F. The ride, you might have guessed, was silky smooth.
On the flight down and back up the performance of the anti-icing system, so far as I could tell without any actual ice, was impressive, with solid deicing fluid flow starting quickly and flowing strongly. The system monitor also alerted us, through the MFD, to the possibility of ice, based on the outside air temperature, and it monitored the flow and levels and even annunciated system problems -- in this case, there was a glitch, and even though the system kept working, the monitor indicated zero pressure for a time.
One new element I like a lot is the little spray head that keeps the windshield clear. Just like the windshield washer on my car, it consists of a little multi-head nozzle that sprays TKS fluid up onto the glass. The coverage, even at normal flow, was excellent, and provided it kept the ice away, it would provide a much better view out front than conventional "hot plate" style windshield deicers. The prop slinger, by the way, throws a good bit of glycol up on the windscreen, too.
At the time I flew the system early in the year, it had not yet gotten final FAA approval, though it had, Cirrus said, passed all of the certification tests. The remaining step was for it to go through a comment period for approval through the exemption process (which should be over by the time you read this). At that point the only thing an owner needs to do is remove a sticker covering the "certified" icing equipment placard and update the logbook.
Pilots worry about weight, and rightfully so. But there's good news on that front.
Now, the addition of the FIKI system adds a significant amount of weight to the SR22's basic empty weight, about 61 pounds (empty), or about 23 pounds more than the basic ice protection package. The total impact, of course, depends on how much TKS fluid you're carrying. Full fluid adds 73 pounds to the total, for a grand total increase of 134 pounds.
That said, Cirrus says that it has decreased basic empty weight on the new models substantially, in part by using a brand-new standard equipment Hartzell prop with a much lighter hub, so that the empty system increase in weight over the basic icing package should be negligible, or even lighter than previous SR22s. This is good news, too, to those customers who decline to get the known ice system, as they'll get the increase in useful load as part of the deal.
It's very probable that customers who choose to go with the FIKI system will be those who fly in northern regions, where ice is a more common wintertime hazard. It should be noted, however, that with the Turbo option, pilots routinely operate their SR22s in the high teens and 20s, where ice is a potential hazard 12 months a year throughout much of the country.
And I have to give a lot of credit to Cirrus, which has stressed over and over again that the real purpose of any anti-icing system is not to allow you to fly in the ice but to give you more time and additional margins to escape ice should you encounter it. The required training for those customers purchasing a FIKI-equipped airplane will doubtless help hammer home the message.
EVS Revealed
It was at the AOPA Convention in San Jose last fall that Cirrus introduced its enhanced vision (EVS) product, called Perspective EVS. Manufactured by Forward Vision, the camera that Cirrus chose for its EVS in the SR22 -- it's now available in the SR20, too -- is the EVS-600, a very economical infrared-plus-visible spectrum sensor. The camera is mounted on the lower side of the left wing, where it is aimed ahead and slightly down.
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