Facing Lake Effect Conditions

The potential for in-flight icing during an IFR flight-regardless of whether the airplane is approved for flight into known icing or not-means doing serious plotting and scheming prior to departure, and throughout the flight. As has been demonstrated for years, structural icing does bad things to airframes. Best to presume every cloud will contain ice, and plan accordingly.To illustrate our point, well look at a hypothetical flight from the Lima (Ohio) Allen County Airport (KAOH) to the Wexford County Airport in Cadillac, Mich. (KCAD). (Were going to KCAD because the FBO rents airplanes on skis and we purely love skiplane flying.) To get there, well be flying a Cessna 177B Cardinal, a stable instrument platform with satisfactory climb and cruise performance, but lacking turbocharging or real ice protection.

rdurden

Friday, December 11, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Thorough pre-flight planning is crucial for IFR flights during icing season, including detailed analysis of cloud layers, temperatures, winds, and alternative routing, presuming every cloud could contain ice.
Strategic in-flight techniques are essential to minimize ice exposure, such as using high-speed "zoom climbs" to quickly penetrate thin icing layers, flying above clouds when possible, and requesting pilot's discretion for descents to avoid prolonged flight in icing conditions.
Safe approach and landing in icy/snowy conditions require careful execution, including avoiding flaps if ice is present, maintaining adequate speed for potential go-arounds, and understanding "flat light" challenges on potentially compromised runways.

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The potential for in-flight icing during an IFR flight—regardless of whether the airplane is approved for flight into known icing or not—means doing serious plotting and scheming prior to departure, and throughout the flight. As has been demonstrated for years, structural icing does bad things to airframes. Best to presume every cloud will contain ice, and plan accordingly.

To illustrate our point, we’ll look at a hypothetical flight from the Lima (Ohio) Allen County Airport (KAOH) to the Wexford County Airport in Cadillac, Mich. (KCAD). (We’re going to KCAD because the FBO rents airplanes on skis and we purely love skiplane flying.) To get there, we’ll be flying a Cessna 177B Cardinal, a stable instrument platform with satisfactory climb and cruise performance, but lacking turbocharging or real ice protection.