What I’ve noticed here is that there is a lot more convective wx than in the UK/France during the Summer.
airways wrote:
Just like you I only have prop deice. My strategy is to push through ‘till on top of weather.
+1 , + turbocharging
In my view it depends on your balance between dispatchability and useful load. Since you are turbocharged you have a choice. If you were not turbocharged I would say it is extremely useful.
Either way, if you are going to install TKS then by all means do it in the US.
My strategy limits me to occasions when I can climb on top of any potential icing levels all along my planned route, and expected icing at destination is limited to a thin layer during descent, or else I do not dispatch. I would say at least 80% dispatchability overall, but you need to have a solid planning strategy.
As @Peter sais, however, icing forecasts are unreliable and you need to be prepared whenever encountering IMC. I minimize the risk by flying high enough that OAT<-10C in summer, <-15 in winter. One of the limitations of this strategy is O2, which is scarcely available in EU. You need to have your own recharging system..
If in doubt and you do not need the useful load, then surely: get TKS.
If you take the TKS route, just make sure you account for the high liquid price and the fact that you’ll have to replace the windshield pump on a CAV system every 6 months or so.
I’ve stopped replacing that one and I am now relying on the propeller liquid being sprayed on the windshield, hopefully I’ll find an alternate pump with a better design. Or a cheaper supplier. How about yours, @Peter?
fact that you’ll have to replace the windshield pump on a CAV system every 6 months or so.
Never heard of that one. What I have heard is that the pump will eventually seize up if not used, but it takes years. That was true about the prop-only TKS pump too.
Yes the prop delivers enough fluid onto the window – just as the old prop-only TKS did.
Peter wrote:
Despite all the talk over here of Europe having some sort of different weather to the US… it doesn’tWe just get the US east coast wx a day or two later.
Brilliant! 
I don’t think TKS is of much use in Scandinavia. Widerøe pilots say that the only thing that works is turboprop (for power to climb fast), and pressurised hull (to climb high enough, above the weather).
Either you stay below the weather VFR, or climb fast above it. Conversely, cruising type piston props aren’t all that useful compared with a good bush plane or helicopter. The next step is turboprop. That is if you need to get around.
That is the standard view of “airline” pilots. Many of them will say a SEP should not be allowed out of the circuit
And yes if you want 99.9% despatch rate then you need all the kit.
I don’t know about Norway – and from many years in this game I get the impression that piston GA IFR touring is a negligible size scene there, due to (a) the mostly hard wx with lots of ice and (b) the N-reg ban – but in general TKS is used to go up/down through layers. The fluid tank is too small for any prolonged enroute use: 1hr in the TB20 and IIRC 30mins in the SR22, at max flow. And for that it does work very well.
The ~50kg payload loss does have the tendency to turn a 3 seat tourer (which is what most IFR SEPs are) into a 2 seat tourer. Or you need to change your flying partner(s) for lightweight ones 
Peter wrote:
I don’t know about Norway – and from many years in this game I get the impression that piston GA IFR touring is a negligible size scene there, due to (a) the mostly hard wx with lots of ice
+9000ft MSA and harsh terrain?? that kills any IMC flying in non-turbos even in summer…
LeSving wrote:
Conversely, cruising type piston props aren’t all that useful compared with a good bush plane or helicopter
Fast touring SEP have aerodynamics that are highly sensitive to ice and need long paved airports so they have to stay above weather and TKS help going up/down, unlike helicopter or bush planes, they can land anywhere while collecting load of dirt (ice or mud for the faint hearts) on their surfaces with not much change in flight characteristic
Ibra wrote:
+9000ft MSA
That’s a slight exaggeration. Sure, there are parts of Norway like that, but certainly not all. It’s not like the Alps.
Airborne_Again wrote:
That’s a slight exaggeration. Sure, there are parts of Norway like that, but certainly not all. It’s not like the Alps.
Can you really fly low IFR on the parts with low MSA? freestyle uncontrolled outside ATS routes
Most ATS routes are +FL100, only few are +FL70 and over water are it’s +1000ft amsl
