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Best way to remove frost from windshield?

172driver wrote:

See below from the C210 POH (C210L, Centurion II):

NOTE

Never use gasoline, benzine, alcohol, acetone, carbon tetrachloride, fire extinguisher or anti-ice fluid, lacquer thinner or glass cleaner to clean the plastic. These ma- terials will attack the plastic and may cause it to craze.

NB: in the original text the ‘Never Use’ is underlined.

Indeed, so it does, also in mine (P210N). I had forgotten that. The next section, about deicing the airframe, repeats it:

When (…) it is necessary to remove ice before flight (…) Isopropyl alcohol will satisfactorily remove ice accumulations without damaging the paint. While applying the de-icing solution, keep it away from the windshield and cabin windows since the alcohol will attack the plastic and may cause it to craze.

So, it looks like indeed it is “application of heat” only for the windshield and window…

ELLX

Well, in the end it didn’t matter – there was no frost on the windshield! Overnight temps were around -16C. I decided to leave late afternoon, as the wx forecast for the next morning (i.e. today) was pretty atrocious. Either it was simply too cold and dry or frost to form (I suspect that was the case) or the sun heated the airplane enough during the day, I don’t know. Anyway, good discussion! I’ve got a series of trips to cold places coming up over the next few weeks, will keep you all posted.

Peter wrote:

In the rental scene most people use a credit card to scrape the stuff off, with predictable results, and I am not referring to the credit card

NAH, that’s old school. Nowadays with contactless the bevelled edges on the credit card don’t matter. The scratches in the windscreen are something else…

Personally, I just turn it into the sun and go for breakfast. Took until 12 noon recently.

EGBW / KPRC, United Kingdom

If TKS damages it, why do I have a deicing system that pumps TKS over the windscreen?

Possibly more than 1 type of plastic is being used?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

@172driver: technically speaking the windshield might be off limits to TKS, so don’t shoot the messenger. :-)

EDLE, Netherlands

@AeroPlus, agree, surprised me as well. Mind, they are only referring to the windshield. Anyway, off to the mountains now, I’ll let you know how it went.

@172driver: strange. I would think TKS fluid can be used as can be seen from this info.

EDLE, Netherlands

Peter wrote:

A cover also stops people casing the joint

Goodness Gracious Peter!

At this rate we are all going to end up speaking proper English!

Antonio
LESB, Spain

@AeroPlus, I am somewhat puzzled by that as well, that’s why I’ve been asking here. See below from the C210 POH (C210L, Centurion II):

NOTE

Never use gasoline, benzine, alcohol, acetone, carbon tetrachloride, fire extinguisher or anti-ice fluid, lacquer thinner or glass cleaner to clean the plastic. These ma- terials will attack the plastic and may cause it to craze.

NB: in the original text the ‘Never Use’ is underlined.

While I have flown in sub-zero temps, these situations were all in very dry climates, e.g. here in the deserts and in southern Africa.

Last Edited by 172driver at 18 Feb 15:24

Sunlight.
PS. If TKS damages it, why do I have a deicing system that pumps TKS over the windscreen?

Fly safely
Various UK. Operate throughout Europe and Middle East, United Kingdom
24 Posts
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