On all my last IFR flights this spring and summer the freezing level was higher than 5000 ft, sometimes over 12.000 feet, and the definition of CAVOK is no clouds below 5000 ft.
I fly in IMC all the time, without icing. And i can cross all of Germany in FL70 if necessary.
CAVOK is 5000ft or the MSA.
However IME is is extremely unusual to see the 0C level above about 8000ft in N Europe.
The difference with TKS is that without it you climb through a layer while keeping an eye on the ice build-up, whereas with TKS you do the same but in general don’t get any ice build-up. So you can do much thicker layers. Plus you can, in theory anyway, enter IMC when there is no escape route into warm (above 0C) air.
In southern Germany, and south from us, or towards France the freezing level is above 8000 feet on many days from May to September. It was in 11.000 to 12.000 on many of my flights this year. We had many days with 30 C on the ground, and many more with 25.
From October to April you meet icing conditions on many days, but even then you can easily avoid them on most days, or have just a little bit of ice during the climb on top or on decent.
TKS (and i don’t care if it’s FIKI or not) is equipment that I consider a last way out but never plan on using regularly. My TKS tank is always full, i let it run occasionally to service ie, preferably on flights through rain, but i try to avoid icing conditions, and i do not fly above FL180 either. If the freezing level is below the MEA i do not fly IFR in IMC, i prefer low VFR flights in these cases.
These are decisions every pilot must and should for himself, and i promised mself a long time ago that i will stick to my own concept no matter what other pilots do.
Having flown almost 2000 h since 1994 and IFR since 2002 and never having been in a critical situation proves that ny concept works – for me!
Other pilots have other ideas of safety and i don’t judge them.
Peter wrote:
Plus you can, in theory anyway, enter IMC when there is no escape route into warm (above 0C) air.
Assuming you don’t run out of fluid, don’t get stuck in it due to weight of airframe icing not cleared by TKS, don’t plan to be in it for long and dont get icing problems on unprotected surfaces like the intake.
dont get icing problems on unprotected surfaces like the intake.
Now, how do you do that? That’s what you have alternate air for.
Didn’t Peter suggest that with propeller TKS activated, he didn’t have intake icing problem ?
Back to Baron and its operators.
How are they dealing with icing (other than with boots) and convection (other than with radar), if higher is not an option ?
ÉDIT: in other words, we could compare capabilities of Senecas (turbo) and Barons (NA). For myself, i never approached one or the other 
Didn’t Peter suggest that with propeller TKS activated, he didn’t have intake icing problem ?
Yes, true for the TB20 but it isn’t true for types which have the air intake on the side of the cowling e.g.
I don’t know where an SR22 has its intake however. The turbo version is on the side IIRC – discussion here.
Aviathor wrote:
Now, how do you do that? That’s what you have alternate air for.
Of course but I can recall several incidents where it wasn’t used leading to problems.
One thing that gets people into trouble with regard to alternate air: POH says you should turn it on when in visible moisture, even if you’re not in icing conditions, and leave it open until you’ve descended and spent a suitable amount of time in positive temps (whatever suitable means) or more likely until you’ve vacated the runway.
Why?
Climb through say 2k feet of moisture at +5c, get your intake filter soaked, climb to minus 5c VMC on top, “wait but why did my engine just quit?!??!!” Because you filter is now an icicle ;-)
POH says you should turn it on when in visible moisture
where in the POH have you find this? All I see in SR22 POH is “Alternate induction air should be used if blocking of the normal air source is suspected. Operation using alternate induction air should be minimized and the cause of filter blocking corrected as soon as practical.”
