Hasty Climbers Have Sudden Falls

As the weather cools in the Northern Hemisphere, pilots living there face the annual challenge of recalling the realities of cold weather flying — in general and for their specific geography and aircraft. This is especially true for pilots who have recently moved or are operating outside where they usually fly.

Pilots from the snow belt who are operating in the sun belt may face fewer challenges, but the ones they’ll encounter can be sneaky. 

No matter your latitude, it’s freezing somewhere at altitude. You likely know where to find icing conditions and forecasts on your electronic flight bag (if you use one). Each EFB is slightly different, but generally, they all get their information from aviationweather.gov. 

If you haven’t visited the website lately, some of the information might not be where you expect, so you should ensure you know how to find icing forecast information directly from the source. For example, to find an interactive graphical forecast:

• Select “icing” from the “weather” dropdown menu.
• In the upper right corner of the map, click the top icon to select the active layers displayed.
• Deselect all resulting options except for the icing option.
• Look at all four icing settings: icing severity, severity with SLD (supercooled large drops), icing probability, and freezing level.
• Move forward and backward in time using the slider at the bottom of the screen.
• Click the “legend” icon at the lower right of the map to get an explanation of what you’re seeing.

How will your airplane handle icing? You know if your airplane has anti-icing equipment and how and when to use it. But things break, the weather surprises us, pilots are fallible humans, etc. So, even if you’ve vowed never to get within 500 miles of the slightest hint of airframe-altering ice, you never know.

It’s a good idea to know how your airplane handles when it’s accumulating ice and have a plan to escape unscathed. Redbird Pro has two scenarios, “The Weather Outside is Frightful” and “Ice on Top of Ice,” to train for this situation. Spoiler alert: In one of these scenarios, you can do everything right and still be loaded up with ice.

Icing can happen before you arrive at the airport. Our humble GA airplanes feel like they can climb vertically when it’s cold enough, but leaving frost on your wings and propeller(s) preflight, even just a little, can crush your climb rate (and possibly your airplane).

Brush it off, ensuring you get every little laminar-flow-destroying bit of it. Better yet, melt it off.

Engines still need oil. And by that, I don’t mean to check your oil levels (which is a given). Your plane’s oil is quite viscous, meaning you should give it a few extra minutes to warm up.  

Check all the documentation you can get your hands on, starting with the POH, and ask other pilots with the same aircraft (and engine type) about the best course of action.  

Cold temps often cause water condensation. Pay extra attention to the fuel samples you draw during your cold weather preflight inspection, and know what to do if you find water. Keeping your tanks topped off between flights is a great way to minimize water condensation.

Be ready to stop your takeoff or get back on the ground.

• Maybe you got all the frost off the wings and prop, or maybe you only thought you did.
• Maybe your engine oil is warm enough to keep the engine happy, or maybe a glob of cooler oil in the sump hasn’t circulated the system yet (if that’s the case, you need to get an oil change).

Clouds are ice delivery systems. Flying through visible moisture in the air when it's at or below zero Celsius deposits ice onto all the parts of your airplane that need to remain ice-free.  

• Carb ice is a different beast and can form even when the ambient temperature is above freezing.
• Flying a fuel-injected airplane? You still need to be on the lookout for induction icing.

Approach with caution. Stay on top of the latest weather information for your destination as you draw closer, and do the same for your alternates. If you know that frontal or fast-moving weather is a possibility, take it into account when selecting your alternates.

Regarding stick and rudder adjustments, recall that your airplane will experience an amplified ground effect compared to warmer days. Nail your approach speeds and anticipate the float.

Hangar if you can, airplane jacket if you can’t. Hangars are the better option for post-flight airplane storage, but tying down outside can be perfectly fine if you follow a few procedures. 

• Get a good cover for your airplane made of canvas or a similarly rugged material (the more surface it covers, the better).
• Keep a trickle charger hooked up to your battery.
• Use an engine/oil heater if you can.

Some days you get the bear, some days he gets you. It’s rare, but GA pilots still find themselves in the wilderness occasionally, having had no choice but to land off-field. When this happens during temperate months, survival may be challenging but certainly possible.

Survival on the Nebraska plains in February with nothing more than a jacket, however, not so much. While keeping weight and balance in mind, bring some gear appropriate for a camping trip in the coldest part of your planned flight path: warm clothes, food, water, first aid, and more than one way to call for help. The easiest wilderness scenario to survive ends with you being picked up in a helicopter about an hour after landing in a prairie.

Know Before You Go