icing

[Heli_jack]

I recently read in MHW that in addition to the blades icing both main and tail in freezing weather with high humidity, that turbines can ice up too.

Anyone had any experience with that happening, what happened, how did you know, etc.???

Jack

[dperry]

I recently read in MHW that in addition to the blades icing both main and tail in freezing weather with high humidity, that turbines can ice up too.

Anyone had any experience with that happening, what happened, how did you know, etc.???

Jack

On the real aircraft you risk chuncks of ice (that form around the nacel)being injested into the turbine, which can destroy an engine in short order.

[wolfdad]

Jack,
Don just made a salient comment and it's de-ice on props and blades and anti-ice on the engine intake. Personally, I haven't flown in conditions that would be conducive to icing, however I would imagine that it could happen....God forbid I ever find myself in that situation.

BTW, I need to clarify what I said above....as a former P-3 Flight Engineer, I have most assuredly flown in "icing" conditions....in fact, a pretty common situation, especially flying out of locations like Adak, however not with the "little" guys.
Doc

[fitenfyr]

You know Jack "icing" conditions around our neck of the woods are pretty common.

Basically any time we have the freezing level at the surface you are probably in "icing" conditions.

I bet you have fired that turbine off in them before, but the OAT is not low enough to overcome the heat generated by the turbine in the fuse.

Now blade icing...well talk to Jeff Scholl about that one. :D

I wouldn't worry about it one bit on our models.

Heck even at 110kts and 2000' in the clouds on most days we are not collecting ice on the airplane. :D
Had to bail on a flight yesterday though...Freezing level was 1000-4000' and it was pretty solid from 7000' down to about 800 AGL at Tacoma.
We figured that ice would be a factor yesterday. :D

[wolfdad]

That was a good one to stay on the ground for, my friend. You would have been fighting icing from the git-go.
Doc

[fitenfyr]

Yep especially just for a currency flight. :D
Funny thing is it totally broke up about 30 minutes later.
By then both my CFI and I were talked out of flying so we just flew the hanger for awhile. :D

This was on the heels of us doing some Chandelles the day before in 18kt winds.
The cross wind approach coming home was WILD!
Landing 17 and the wind check on final was 190-210 18 gusting to 21. :D
First time I have ever gotten hit with wind sheer enough to actually make a difference in a 172. :D

We flew the approach down at 90 indicated 73kts ground speed and I still made the mid field turn off.
On top of all that it was probably the best "squeaker" I have done in a long time. :D

Ok now about that icing with model helicopters. :D :D

[WillJames]

Fly into Asheville, NC Jason. There are a bunch of cool air currents like that where you feel the lost of airspeed or groundspeed on final frequently. It is fun. I did not know you flew planks to.;)

[wolfdad]

Jason,
I have seen a couple of times when we made a "straight-n" approach to 32 in Adak where we were actually looking at the runway through the side windscreen with both "drivers" on the sticks in order to shove the rudder over at the last minute. Now, I never minded "sticky" flying, however that close to the ground just plain sucks.

Will, back during the "cold war," we were flying a "ladder search" pattern on a Soviet AGOR (electronic spy ship), attempting to relocate his position. We got into a squall line unintentionally somewhere off the Phillipines and started taking 500-1000 foot vertical excusions. At the time I was strapped in, however my "second wrench" was asleep on the galley seat and I looked back it time to see him come off the seat (due to negative G's) and rise above the table level. When he came down, his legs were already in the "run" mode seeking a place to strap in. Never saw "Snuffy" move that fast again. We were in that crap for about 5 minutes before we could get out and, ever since, I have thanked the Lord that most of my flight time was in a Lockheed product. The old gal had stiff wings, but she was built like a tank and they are predicting a life-span on the P-3 well past 2015.
Doc

[fitenfyr]

Will,
Yep working on my C-SEL right now.

Doc,
I agree those P-3's are AWESOME birds.
I get to see them all the time around here. That is about all that fly's out of NAS Whidbey these days. Still some EA-6B's of course, but they are fading fast IMO.

Everytime I head up there I am always dodging one doing the spiral climb out of there over the field.
IMPRESSIVE to say the least. Last time the guy was off the deck and at 6000' in about 2 minutes. All within the pattern of the field. :D