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Im looking at used Cirruses and find many that are from before the Known Icing certification
and are supposed to come with TKS Ice Protection. How does that work?
-- Martin Antranik, September 30, 2009
The SR22 has had TKS for a while, but is only for use in inadvertent encounters in ice. Flying into predicted or reported icing conditions is still illegal (not to mention suicidal) in the non FIKI aircraft, but should you accidentally encounter ice, you've got a tool at your disposal to increase your safety margin while you decide how best to get out of the ice.Cirrus did make changes to the TKS system as part of the FIKI certification process. For one, they made the fluid tanks significantly larger, upgraded the pump, and added to the surfaces which are covered by the TKS veins.
From those I've talked to, even the FIKI certified SR-22 should not be used to cruise in icing conditions. The opinion seems to be that if there's an icing layer you need to punch through, then the FIKI system could help you legally climb and descend through it, and maybe fly an approach, but spending a protracted period of time in ice would still get you killed.
-- Joshua Levinson, October 1, 2009