Anti-ice/De-ice for 172?

Mattio

Mattio

Well-Known Member
Do any companies make kits for the 172 to make them approved for known icing? Winter is fast approaching and we are going to have to cancel so many IFR flights for light icing. If there were a kit, I could evaluate the cost and possibly propose it to my flight school. Perhaps they would break even considering all the flights that end up going instead of being canceled....
 
You may be able to find a TKS mod out there but the price of the TKS fluid will probably kill any profit they would get from the aircraft unless they increase the price of the aircraft during the winter. Besides, flight schools typically make more money off their instructors. Doing ground on the bad days will still net the school a decent profit compared to tossing a TKS kit on the aircraft.
 
TKS would cost more than most 172s are worth. Besides, the weight would essentially make it single pilot for the newer SPs anyway ;)
 
If you really wanted to do it, long run it would probably just be cheaper to get a FIKI Cirrus or Mooney. Don't mess around with retrofitting, just get it from the factory.
 
My flight school would have just laughed at me if I proposed something like that. Even though we were in northern Utah and the fleet was pretty much grounded every winter. In order to go anywhere you would have to climb to 8000 just to clear the peaks around the valley. Not happening very often in the winter. Some of the CFIs there were leaving and going to regionals with 1000/100 and only a handful of hours of actual.
 
There is no STC's to make a 172 FIKI. Im sure you can get a TKS package to put on a 172, But it would still not be legal to fly in known ice. Best bet would to get a C210, SR22 or C310 and get multi at the same time.
 
esa17 said:
2. Foolish.
Click to expand...

If its FIKI, its FIKI. That doesn't mean the plane can handle anything, just that its been tested in certain circumstances. Provided that you don't exceed the limitations spelled out in the certification process you'd theoretically be "just fine." That said, if there was a FIKI approved 172, idiots all over the country would be launching into known or forecasted moderate. Why? Because they're already doing it, but without FIKI approval.
 
I can tell you that the company that owns the STC for TKS in a 210 is selling it installed for around $50K. It wouldn't be much cheaper in the 172. A good chunk of that is paying for the certification process I'm sure.
 
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