Polishing frost

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Interesting conversation took place while at the usual Sunday morning fly-out breakfast. Polishing frost.

I was aware of the change in the regulations (I wouldn't admit otherwise) but hadn't really registered it in a brain cell that would activate at the correct time. That being as I was contemplating a departure but my wings frosted over.

You see the last time it frosted over and I had an airplane I could fly that is stored outside and subject to frost, was the fall/winter of 09. At that time it was perfectly fine to polish frost smooth that was found on your wings, propellor and other critical surfaces and instrument parts. My old 170 was damaged last December and I didn't have the current partnership till spring and frost were long gone.

But now I've got to deal with frost and since that magic day 1/1/10 frost can no longer be polished smooth. Here is the new 91.527.

Code: Select all

[Title 14, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2010]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 14CFR91.527]

[Page 760]
 
                     TITLE 14--AERONAUTICS AND SPACE
 
CHAPTER I--FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
PART 91_GENERAL OPERATING AND FLIGHT RULES--Table of Contents
 
Subpart F_Large and Turbine-Powered Multiengine Airplanes and Fractional 
                       Ownership Program Aircraft
 
Sec. 91.527  Operating in icing conditions.

    (a) No pilot may take off an airplane that has frost, ice, or snow 
adhering to any propeller, windshield, stabilizing or control surface; 
to a powerplant installation; or to an airspeed, altimeter, rate of 
climb, or flight attitude instrument system or wing, except that 
takeoffs may be made with frost under the wing in the area of the fuel 
tanks if authorized by the FAA.
    (b) No pilot may fly under IFR into known or forecast light or 
moderate icing conditions, or under VFR into known light or moderate 
icing conditions, unless--
    (1) The aircraft has functioning deicing or anti-icing equipment 
protecting each rotor blade, propeller, windshield, wing, stabilizing or 
control surface, and each airspeed, altimeter, rate of climb, or flight 
attitude instrument system;
    (2) The airplane has ice protection provisions that meet section 34 
of Special Federal Aviation Regulation No. 23; or
    (3) The airplane meets transport category airplane type 
certification provisions, including the requirements for certification 
for flight in icing conditions.

                                * * * * *

And here is a link to more fascinating reading how this came to be. What I find most fascinating is the FAAs count of how many airplanes this effects in Alaska and the Mainland, "In Alaska, there are 21 operators with one aircraft apiece, and 30 operators operating the remaining 156 aircraft. In the mainland U.S., there are six operators operating 11 aircraft."

You now it is a good thing we all have to reregister our aircraft. Maybe the FAA will figure out there are must be a heck of a lot more aircraft operating part 91 and effected  by this rule.

The next thought I had was maybe, specially in Alaska, this is the number of operators that would actually comply with this new regulation. 8O  Yes sir I can just see it now. Joe Pilot out on that hunt in the middle of no where Alaska. He loads up his mighty Super Cub with the Elk he just shot and notices he's got a bit of frost on the wings. Darn it all he's grounded and no way to remove the frost. Hope he can walk out. Kids are going to be hungry.

Here is the a link that follows how this all happened:

http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2008/05/08/E8-10246/removal-of-regulations-allowing-for-polished-frost-on-wings-of-airplanes

[minton]

Good try FAA. I'm waiting to see this one work!!

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

So are you saying Minton, folks in Alaska might still be polishing frost?

[minton]

It's snow'in and I'm fly'in

[BeeMan]

We probably all agree that the principle of the rule is not the problem. I would love to have a hangar so my plane is frost free and can fly at a moments notice. But like a lot of others I rely on wing covers and preheating to get the old girl ready. Pretty difficult to get ALL the frost off ALL the surfaces named in the rule. As I see it the rule is just one more way to hang a pilot who screws up.

Cheers, Bill

[blueldr]

Bruce,

If that guy in Alaska gets cought with an "Elk" in his airplane he is probably going to be in deep s--t with the Fish and Game people too.

[marathonrunner]

We do have elk in Alaska and it is legal to hunt and fly them out by airplane. You just cannot fly and hunt the same day airborne. It is better meat than moose too. That is a fact not an opinion

[blueldr]

marathonrunner,

I stand corrected. Thank you. I spent four years in the Air Force in Fairbanks, and I hunted Moose and Caribou, but I sure don't ever remember seeing, or even knowing that there were any, Elk in Alaska. I guess I've led a more sheltered life than I realized.

[marathonrunner]

Yes there are elk in the Kodiak Island archipeligo, primarily Afognak and Raspberry Islands which were transplanted in 1926. There are some in southeast as well. Not sure which elk are there but the ones on Kodiak are Roosevelt not Rocky Mountain so have bigger bodies but not very good racks. Never had a good tasting rack anyway. I do like Caribou as well. Nice to not go to the grocery store for meat but my wife points out that we could eat the best cuts if you take into account airplane costs, gas, parts, maintenance hangar, hunting gear, etc. etc. I hate having a practical person pointing all that out.

[zenpilot]

Not fly because of a bit of polished frost... HA ha ah ahahha haha ha hha hhaaaaa.....he ehee hhe. It's the only time my airplane has any shine at all!!!

Oh, that's a good one, my sides hurt now.

Karl

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Elk, Moose, Bear I only know what I see on TV. I believe I just saw Palin shoot an Elk. Maybe it was a reindeer, I do don't know. The point was I'll bet their flying just like they always have.

[GAHorn]

... frost can no longer be polished smooth. Here is the new 91.527.

..._Large and Turbine-Powered Multiengine Airplanes and Fractional
Ownership Program Aircraft
..

Yep... this really will ground a lot of Multiengine-Turbine Cessna 170's.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Yep... this really will ground a lot of Multiengine-Turbine Cessna 170's.

Yes it certainly will. Those owners better be careful.




Darn it, I almost made the whole year without a mistake. I know you just can't read a small part of a regulation. You've got to read the whole thing from the first word of the part to the last. From the beginning of the chapter to the end.

The fact that this regulation ended in .5xx should have been a clue but I found what I was expecting to find with my search. You see I was asked off the cuff if we could still polish frost smooth. And then given a reference and told we couldn't. The first thing that set me up.

You see I remember in the last year or so that the FAA's definition of what icing was changed. And then through a later letter changed again back to about what it was before. At least that is all I've retained, I should probably go do some research. Anyway as frost is icing that one dim brain cell correlated them together and I wasn't surprised by the reference given. Then when I looked at it I only looked at 91.527, not the whole chapter and sure enough in black and white there it was. The fact the FAA says there are only 156 aircraft in Alaska and 16 in the lower 48 effected should have tipped me off. But again I just expected the FAA to come up with something so ridiculous as that.

The good news is there are only a few more days to a fresh new year and my record of being perfect for the year will once again be intact.