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Unless pilots exercise sound airmanship, they and their FIKI aircraft can become an accident sta- tistic, too.
Enough of the doom and gloom – now is our op- portunity to discuss best practices and tradecraft to avoid being the accident statistic. Weather is the hardest to predict and the most variable factor in every flight. Make every effort to obtain the most current PIREPS, AIRMETS, SIGMETS and freezing level forecasts before each flight into conditions that can produce icing. Remember that a lack of PIREPs does not mean there aren’t hazardous conditions present. Sometimes, pilots fail to give icing reports or simply no one flying along your flight route.
If your preflight weather planning points toward possible icing, your aircraft preflight will become even more critical. Aircraft equipped with leading- edge boots require a thorough inspection of all areas of the boots to find tears or cracks that could inhibit proper inflation when needed. The same holds for propeller heating elements. Ground testing of pitot heat, windshield heat or hot plate operation can pre- vent an accident before the aircraft leaves the ramp.
Should your departure airport be contaminated with snow, slush, or ice, care must be taken during taxiing to minimize splashing contaminants into
January 2024 / TWIN & TURBINE • 7