I live in Seattle, the Ice Capital of the Known Universe.  Its a sickening feeling when you do everything you can to avoid ice and find yourself trapped in an icing situation, with loved ones in the plane with you.  With no deice capability, all you can do it turn around or descend or both.  Over the North Cascades, your options diminish, as you reach full manifold pressure and are only able to barely maintain level flight.  (Cessna T210/now sold thank you very much.)

I got the RDD treatment on my IVP and am pleased with it.  Admittedly, it’s new technology and it took some time to sort out the software and bugs etc (the bugs were sorted out by other guys before my time, so I had a relatively easy time of it).  I think the software bugs have been fixed, and they have figured out that you have to turn on the system on the ground and let it BIT check it on the ground as part of the run-up.  And the HCMs (Heater Control Modules) do better if mounted in the cool air on the back side of the gear box rather than in the cockpit on the front on the gear box.  They have performed flawlessly for me.

The whole system gets more robust as it matures with time.

My only installation hiccup during installation was that my AOA quit working.  You have to run a lot of power lines through the leading edge, and one of the tubes to the AOA got smashed, I believe.

After diagnosing the problem, I took it back to RDD and they repaired the AOA at no cost to me.  I think that’s a pretty successful installation for an admittedly complicated system.  Dave McRae was in my neck of the woods later on and and stopped by my hanger to personally torque the alternator belt to make sure it was perfect.

I also had a glycol spray bar installed for the windshield.  I tried it out during a test flight, thinking it was no big deal that the system had been filled with water rather than glycol for ground testing.  It worked as advertised and immediately, with the push of a button, iced up my entire windshield.  It sublimated off and was no issue, but I teased them for installing a “windshield auto-ice” system for my plane.  Obviously, they drained the water and filled it up with glycol before my next flight.

For me, the system works as advertised.  It melts the ice before it forms, leaving only a tiny (pin sized) stream of ice going back over the top of the wing from the edge of the heat collar (It’s so small you can only see it on the wing that is pointed into the setting sun).

I obviously intend to stay out of icing situations.  Period.  But if I inadvertently get into the ice, having the RDD system gives me a little extra flexibility.  I’d much rather have it than not.

I recommend it.




On 2/25/09 11:44 AM, "Colyn Case at earthlink" <colyncase@earthlink.net> wrote:

Except for Robert Simon, this is pretty much the story I get about RDD.
possible levels of service:
a) costs what they said, it works, and no collateral damage
b) costs a lot more than they said but it works and no collateral damage
c) costs a lot more than they said, there is collateral damage, but it works
d) costs a lot more than they said , there is collateral damage, and it doesn't work

Robert says (a)
Generally I'm hearing (d) from most people.

I would jump on it even at (b).

----- Original Message -----
 
From:  Michael D.  Smith <mailto:mdpilot982@gmail.com>  
 
To: lml@lancaironline.net
 
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 8:11  AM
 
Subject: [LML] Re: Deice for the IV
 

 
 

Yikees.   What is it going to take?  That level of service is my greatest  fear.



Michael