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FIKI certification in Europe - what does it mean?

I have a few hundred hours in aircraft which DO NOT have Continental O200 engines, and cannot recall a carb ice incident in them.
I have almost 2000 hours in O200 aircraft, and many carb ice incidents. Today I had carb ice while taxiing in the Bolkow Junior.
In the Jodel DR1050 the engine stopped immediately after start.
With the cowling off frost could be seen to appear on the carb.
Some days I don’t do regular carb heat checks. Some days I do.
I was taught carb heat on for descent to land. After many years, I was persuaded to go to cold air on very short final, ready to go-around. Doing this lead to engine almost stopping when I opened throttle to turn and backtrack to exit.
Both Jodel DR1050 and Bolkow BO208 manuals recommend carb heat on taxi in some conditions.

Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom

Maoraigh wrote:

I was taught carb heat on for descent to land. After many years, I was persuaded to go to cold air on very short final, ready to go-around. Doing this lead to engine almost stopping when I opened throttle to turn and backtrack to exit.
Both Jodel DR1050 and Bolkow BO208 manuals recommend carb heat on taxi in some conditions.

This is interesting to read.

I was taught to apply Carb heat on decent to land too. Also, to push in the carb heat and throttle together when doing a go-around in the C152 I did my PPL in, as they are right next to each other. I later learned to push in carb heat with “Runway assured, carb heat cold” on very short final. Im now wondering if maybe the application of power for go-around then carb heat to cold is the way to go even if you get a few seconds of slightly lower than maximum power.

Regards, SD..

Last Edited by skydriller at 20 Oct 04:56

I was taught to apply carb heat when configuring the aircraft downwind and then power first before carb heat to cold on a go round.
Also to apply carb heat in humid conditions whenever one is on reduced power, such as descending to circuit height.

France

gallois wrote:

power first before carb heat to cold on a go round.

Some POH warn that this may cause detonation.

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

Airborne_Again wrote:

Some POH warn that this may cause detonation

Does the POH explain ho that might happen?

Carb heat switches air intake to warmer air which has the effect of making the air less dense. Going from low power to full power with carb heat applied, could on some engines, result in a rich cut (too much fuel in the mixture), or potentially detonation as the engine power increases with too lean a mixture.

Training schools seem to teach going full power (C152 or PA28), carb heat closed from memory, and tail wheel conversion appears to introduce closing carb heat to cold on short final. I close carb heat on short final, but the Lycoming 320 doesn’t make much ice; but a carb heat check on a damp cool day usually produces a slight RPM rise on the power check, so there are conditions where ice is in the carburettor.

As @Peter pointed out, this is far removed from FIKi thread.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

RobertL18C wrote:

Going from low power to full power with carb heat applied, could on some engines, result in a rich cut (too much fuel in the mixture), or potentially detonation as the engine power increases with too lean a mixture.

I get that there might be less air (Hot air, less dense etc) and a rich cut, Ive always been taught to apply power “smoothly”… but how do you get the case of too little fuel? (ie the detonation case)
Or am I being dense… ( )

RobertL18C wrote:

I close carb heat on short final, but the Lycoming 320 doesn’t make much ice; but a carb heat check on a damp cool day usually produces a slight RPM rise on the power check

I had the impression carb heat on Lyco 320 is bolted to the engine crankcase,
- When you are already in cruise with CHT with T&P hot like Mexico, there are not much carb ice anyway
- When on ground on first flight on the day, the crankcase is cold and you do expect to see that RPM drop

These lovely rock solid US engines will have some CHT & EGT feed back to carburetor via “conduction & radiation” without any need to introduce hot air “convection”, in the other hand they were designed in Pennsylvania and heavily flown in hot Texas/Florida/California where carb icing is not a big worry (if the air is moist it’s usually CB/TS), so their manual may not reflect the exact carb heat risks on low CHT in moist weather (99% of UK GA flying is 3kft, 10C, 70%-100% humidity, mostly circuit on full rich mixture with CHT in 2xx)

Lyco 320 is not immune to carb icing, it happens and one probable accident cause:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/54ae3f4740f0b6245d000007/Piper_PA-28-161_Cadet_G-BXJJ_01-15.pdf

In the other hand Gipsy Major, WV, Conti engines you may find in Chippies, Tiger Moths, Jodels will have cylinders & carburetors sitting in different planets, these engine have consistently delivered when it comes to carb icing say in UK, Canada, France that people would advise to keep it ON all the time and hope for the best (not the best strategy if carb ice forms deep inside the induction)

A bit off topic tough but anyone flying in IMC conditions would probably move from carburated engine to injected engine with alternate air (small step in the path to FIKI), unless they are flying TMG under cloud-base or keep it light IMC

Last Edited by Ibra at 21 Oct 08:11
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Totally off topic. No connection at all

Carb icing threads.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Is this local copy the most recent FAA word on “known icing”?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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