iced up cub

[twotall]

my cub got buried in a foot of wet snow, brushed it off but still have a thin layer of iced, can I used methanol to remove the ice with hurting the fabric

[KOZ]

I like hot tap water. A gallon jug per wing cleans it up nicely. A little will re freeze on the struts if it's super cold but it's nominal.

[Wayne Mackey]

The hot water works well but be shore to ckeck all moving parts[pullys, hinges] for
freedom of movement do to ice from the water refreezing. Wayne

[T.J.]

delete

[StewartB]

Every winter I buy 2-3 gallons of aircraft deicing fluid from a local parts store. I put it in a stainless steel weed sprayer. When the weather tricks me, I put the sprayer tank on the stove and get it mildly hot. I drive to the airport, spray it on, and go flying. Nothing melts ice like air erosion (flying) but the deicer gets the thick stuff off. It'll stay pretty warm for plenty long enough to get to the plane. If you use the hot water trick, make sure to fly right away, and make sure your control surfaces move before you goose it.
SB

[S2D]

How about heating up some of that RV water line antifreeze or windshield washer fluid?? its only a couple bucks a gallon. and wouldn't freeze if you got it on the controls. Haven't tried it, but just wondering.

[mvivion]

For years I operated an amphibious Beaver in Kodiak, and between height and wind, wing covers weren't an option.

I kept a 3 gallon weed sprayer in the furnace room, with about a half gallon of RV anti freeze (not ethyline glycol, ie: auto antifreeze). Getting ready to go fly, I'd simply run some hot tap water into the sprayer to make a full three gallons of anti-freeze/water mix, and de-ice.

I wouldn't use straight water, unless the temps are really warm, in which case, it'll all melt anyway. I also would'nt use straight anti-freeze, since it isn't necessary, and costs more than the mix of anti freeze/water.

Also, diluting the anti freeze helps to negate any possible effect the anti freeze could have on the plane, which I don't think is an issue in any case.

A three gallon sprayer would de-ice a nasty iced up Beaver, and the stuff won't re-freeze, or freeze up your pulleys, etc.

Not only that, but it'll serve for at least a while as anti-ice, since a thin film stays with the plane for a while.

Mike V