By Phil Lightstone, Richmond Hill, Ontario
Some of my flying friends built and fly Van’s RV aircraft. Up here in the Great White North, with freezing levels on the ground, flying activities tend to diminish. Most if not all flight into known icing (FIKI) equipment is available for certified aircraft, there is little de-icing available for experimental aircraft. Launching into a flight with no icing reports between your departure and destination airports is pretty normal for winter flying. But occasionally, you can be surprised by either icing on an IFR flight while in the “clag” or clear air icing.
On a personal note, early in my flying career, I experienced clear air icing. Flying a Piper Warrior on a 40 nm return flight from breakfast and in clear air, the Warrior began to collect ice, in a big way. The wing, prop, spinner, and front windshield was covered in light ice. The Warrior’s defrosting heater created a small “periscope” hole for me to look out and the side windows were clear of ice. Pre-GPS days, the tower gave me an ADF steer to the airport, where, with keeping the speed up and sideslipping (providing forward visibility out the side window), I landed without incident.
Buenos Technologies of Redmond, Oregon, (a division of RDD Enterprises has developed a de-icing system for experimental aircraft. The system is an electro-thermal system designed specifically for the experimental market. The system is powered by a Hartzell 150-amp alternator, which is completely independent of the aircraft’s electrical system. The system delivers 8,000 watts at 70 to 80 volts using 100 amps of power.
The system can be installed onto both new builds or completed aircraft. Some preparation of the wing and horizontal stabilizer is required, mostly focused on cleaning. Existing paint is not required to be removed. Essentially, the electro-thermal strips are impregnated with a heat activated glue. Installation is pretty simple but takes approximately 150 hours to install. The kit includes a set of heaters, an alternator, and the power control devices. The kit includes the alternator, but does not include wiring, a switch, alternator belt, and mounting bracket. Power is provided by a dedicated alternator that is driven by the engine (mounting brackets not included). The alternator output is controlled by solid state components that direct power to each heater and maintains control of the alternator.
Each heater zone incorporates a core of resistive materials that do not break down under electrical load cycles. These materials also generate heat in a consistent pattern across the span of the heater. The result is a lightweight, dependable, and durable ice protection system for your airplane.
The system is pretty easy to use. When you think you are picking up ice, simply turn the system on. That’s it. The system is priced at USD $17,670 (exclusive of installation, foreign shipping, and taxes). BT taking pre-orders with a USD $1,500 deposit required. BT is expecting shipping by AirVenture 2023 and when scaled up, expects to ship five systems per month. Checkout an in-depth article in the June issue of Aviation Consumer.