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Equiping for IFR

wvshooter

Member
I recently read somewhere that a heated pitot tube is required for IFR flight. Then I read an EAA write up on equipment required for IFR which makes no mention of a heated pitot tube. Who's right?
 
It's not?????? :eek:

Holy cow! Or Holy Pitot tube batman!!!

It certainly is down here, and we are not as "icing" as you guys up there.
 
Different places, different rules. Canada requires two different types of nav receivers. Here in the US, there is a huge difference between the legal minimum and what mosts pilots feel is needed to operate at a reasonable level of safety.
 
In the US 91.205 spells out the equipment requirements for all phases of flight: VFR, Night, and IFR. And for those playing at home your OPLIMS will state the entire paragraph applies when equipping for IFR. And as previously stated a heated pitot is not a 91.205 requirement.
 
Several of the glass EFIS displays use attitude solutions that are pitot dependent. Several modes of most auto pilots are significantly impaired if you loose accurate pitot pressure. As mentioned previously, a heated pitot is a very good idea. Even if you don't plan on flight in IMC, one can find clear air that will produce ice.
 
The other side of that argument is that on most systems the pitot only provides air speed. Most will have ground speed with their GPS. A pitot can easily be done without.
 
Several of the glass EFIS displays use attitude solutions that are pitot dependent. Several modes of most auto pilots are significantly impaired if you loose accurate pitot pressure. As mentioned previously, a heated pitot is a very good idea. Even if you don't plan on flight in IMC, one can find clear air that will produce ice.

How does clear air produce ice?
 
How does clear air produce ice?

Clear air does not. BUT I would never consider IFR without a working heated pitot tube.

I had one "where the **** did this half inch of ice come from" experience on a severe clear VFR on top day on my descent through the layer. I could not have hit the on switch for pitot heat fast enough. This is the same reason I back fitted a vacuum release check valve in the fuel tank vent lines.

Just put it in.
Carl
 
The other side of that argument is that on most systems the pitot only provides air speed. Most will have ground speed with their GPS. A pitot can easily be done without.

It's one thing to do without a pitot. It's another thing entirely to diagnose and cope with pitot ice.
 
The other side of that argument is that on most systems the pitot only provides air speed. Most will have ground speed with their GPS. A pitot can easily be done without.

I used to agree with the above, however it is only true in day VMC and totally clear night VMC in an airframe you are very accustomed to. From experience, not as easy with the canopy iced over and useless for landing.

In IMC day or night if your glass Attitude Information and or synthetic vision is compromised from lost pitot and the auto pilot is useless from the same lost pitot, or static info, it is a situation best avoided. I suggest a study on the following 3 flights.

All 3 AC had accurate ground speed and accurate gyro attitude information.
2 of the 3 had multi thousand hour captains in the LH seat. All were lost for blocked pitot or static ports in the case of 603.

Birgenair Flight 301 B757

Aeroperú Flight 603 B757

Air France 447 A330

Flight in IMC is a totally unforgiving environment.

Most sport grade glass is evolving more reliable, however, loss of accurate pitot and static information will confuse most of it at best. Ditto with several of the autopilots. A bad GPS ant. can render all of a ships GPS equipment useless.
 
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F1R,
All three of these had heated pitot (even multiple). Also very bad examples of loss of life due to none heated pitot. All three had much bigger problems.
 
Some of the heated pitot masts have the static ports on the same shaft. I have an older Gretz Aero like this. A single cover protects both and uncovers both on preflight.
 
Pretty easy to install an alternate static inside our non-pressurized planes. That does require the pilot to diagnose the problem.
 
You maybe don't "have" to have pitot static heat under the regs, BUT----a long time ago, a Northwest 727 crew forgot to turn it on. They crashed. More recently the Air France A 330 crashed Rio to Paris. Air buses had a history of their pilots bit---ing about their pitot heats were not working well enough. I guess airbus finally fixed it after that crash.

During level flight, there could be no change in indicated airspeed, even after making large power changes.

During climb, the indicated airspeed could increase.

During descent, the indicated airspeed could decrease.

YOU IN BEEG TRAUBLE MON!!!!!!:eek:

FLY ATTITUDE
 
I recently read somewhere that a heated pitot tube is required for IFR flight. Then I read an EAA write up on equipment required for IFR which makes no mention of a heated pitot tube. Who's right?

Stay out of ice, no big deal.

Better yet buy a ticked on SWA, sit back and have a beer. :)
 
Of course if you have an EFIS that loses attitude because you lost airspeed...

But that's why you need a heated pitot tube----hot enough to burn your fingers if you touch it on pre flight. (Done that):rolleyes: And don't turn the darn thing off unless its daytime and clear & a million.

That's why the big guys all have a little old CE 150 type artificial horizon. They "do" use electricity to drive them vs airflow. which I would have preferred. Electrically heated with a battery heating backup if it really gets that bad.
 
But that's why you need a heated pitot tube----hot enough to burn your fingers if you touch it on pre flight. (Done that):rolleyes:

Yea, me too. That's why I like the new designs with a temperature controller. Saves fingers, unit draws less power (usually).
 
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