Caution: beware of ice buildup

[Wenchtram]

Hello,

Just got back from a quick 10-minute little flight in some relatively warm weather (-1C/30F), for me in Canada, anyway. While it wasn't actually raining/snowing, per se, there was definitely very high humidity (93%). There were no incidents during flight, but after landing and powering down, I noticed that there was very visible ice buildup on the leading edges of all of the rotor blades. Some quick Google searches (e.g.,: Icing In Helicopters? Land Right Away.) show that this is a very real risk for actual helicopter pilots. Hence, I think I just got myself a free and valuable lesson that could have ended much worse if I had been out any longer.

TL;DR: Do not fly in high humidity in below-freezing temperatures; ice buildup on the rotors will cause a crash.

 

[F6Rider]

Icing on the wing is a very real danger when flying in near freezing weather if the humidly is up or if there is fog, or flying in low laying clouds. Icing can change and deform the wing surface, decreasing lift and adding weight to the craft. In the Army we had de-icing heaters in the wings of fixed wing A/C, and I have had to make more than one precautionary landing in rotary wing A/C due to either icing or whiteout, or a combination.