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I wonder which one is better for de-icing protection system.
Correct me if I'm wrong,Fluid : need to fill up the tank(more money?), mess up my plane.
Thermal : need more powerful battery to operate. clean airplane.
It seems to me that even though operating thermal based de-icing
system need more engine power, it's bettern than fluid type.
No extra money to spend... save my penny... :)What do you think? Any opinion?
-- Junyoung Yun, February 26, 2009
I thought that the electric de-icing system on the Columbia (now Cessna 400) would be great, but it turned out not to worked very well. Jets with hot wings use a tremendous amount of energy to make sure that the water vaporizes and does not simply "run back" and freeze elsewhere on the wing. The TKS system coats the entire airplane and therefore protects a lot of surfaces that aren't actually squirting out fluid.
-- Philip Greenspun, March 5, 2009