When should prop icing become a concern?

[Deleted member 160650]

Why flying in cold dry snow when should I be worried about prop icing? I have had my Mavic mini pick up icing on a prop them it started to vibrate and flew off. How can you tell when you have icing besides landing and checking in it?

 

[Wade L.]

Dew point and temperature. If the dew point is below freezing (32 degrees F) and the temperature of the collecting surface (i.e. the props) is at or below freezing, ice will form on the surface.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Why flying in cold dry snow when should I be worried about prop icing? I have had my Mavic mini pick up icing on a prop them it started to vibrate and flew off. How can you tell when you have icing besides landing and checking in it?

If its a wet Snow , your most likely in for some icing if your going up in it. The mini does not have to much room for error in that department as the other drones do.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini in the Pouring Rain, and Snow.

 

[eEridani]

Said another way, any time the temperature is below freezing and you have condensation in the atmosphere, you can get icing. Also, look up rime ice, it's a bit more involved, but another source of ice on airfoils. Another point is that while you may not see condensation, air foils and the low pressures they create can cause condensation all by themselves.

 

[lookout]

You don’t have any way of deicing on a quad.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

When the dew point and the temperature are within a few degrees then there's a higher probability icing will occur. Cold and dry you should not experience any prop icing.

 

[retiredNH]

Keep in mind too that conditions above the ground may be different, usually colder, than what's reported in a normal weather report. An aviation expert (not me...) might be able to comment more.

 

[gmonatl]

Keep in mind there has to be visible moisture in the air for icing to even be possible. Even with that icing is not assured. Must be within 5-7degrees of freezing as well. Colder or warmer and ice won’t form.

 

[eEridani]

Keep in mind there has to be visible moisture in the air for icing to even be possible. Even with that icing is not assured. Must be within 5-7degrees of freezing as well. Colder or warmer and ice won’t form.

Not true; moisture does not need to be visible. No fog, no mist, etc. When an airfoil moves through air, it creates low pressure zones where moisture can condense and freeze onto the airfoil surfaces.

 

[lookout]

Dew point and outside temperature being the same near freezing is one to watch out for or when this occurs before it hits the surface (or where you happen to be).

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Reading these posts, I believe we Aussie pilots are certainly lucky to live here.
About the only time our props will ice up is if we're flying in a public park somewhere and we crash into some kids birthday cake.

 

[gmonatl]

Not true; moisture does not need to be visible. No fog, no mist, etc. When an airfoil moves through air, it creates low pressure zones where moisture can condense and freeze onto the airfoil surfaces.

I’m not familiar with what you are describing. Is that a theoretical principle or are airframes icing and planes crashing from clear air icing?
. From the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) sect. 7-1-19:
“b. A pilot can expect icing when flying in visible
precipitation, such as rain or cloud droplets, and the
temperature is between +02 and −10 degrees Celsius.
When icing is detected, a pilot should do one of two……”

And directly from the FAA Website on structural icing:

“Two conditions are necessary for structural icing in flight: (1) the aircraft must be flying through visible water such as rain or cloud droplets, and
(2) the temperature at the point where the mois- ture strikes the aircraft must be 0° C or colder. Aerodynamic cooling can lower temperature of an airfoil to 0° C even though the ambient tempera- ture is a few degrees warmer.”

In the last 25 years of Instrument flying I’ve seen all types of ice. I’ve never accreted ice in clear air. I’d be interested in any literature you know of to learn more about what you’re describing.

 

[eEridani]

I’m not familiar with what you are describing. Is that a theoretical principle or are airframes icing and planes crashing from clear air icing?
. From the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) sect. 7-1-19:
“b. A pilot can expect icing when flying in visible
precipitation, such as rain or cloud droplets, and the
temperature is between +02 and −10 degrees Celsius.
When icing is detected, a pilot should do one of two……”

And directly from the FAA Website on structural icing:

“Two conditions are necessary for structural icing in flight: (1) the aircraft must be flying through visible water such as rain or cloud droplets, and
(2) the temperature at the point where the mois- ture strikes the aircraft must be 0° C or colder. Aerodynamic cooling can lower temperature of an airfoil to 0° C even though the ambient tempera- ture is a few degrees warmer.”

In the last 25 years of Instrument flying I’ve seen all types of ice. I’ve never accreted ice in clear air. I’d be interested in any literature you know of to learn more about what you’re describing.

It's called hoar icing ... not typical in plane crashes, but something to be aware of.

ps: I believe this type of icing is more common inside carburetors than on flight surfaces...