N853PA arrived at CAV Aerospace’s home base, KSLN, at 10:00 PM CST. (view Flight Tracker) It was too dark out to get a good photograph of the plane in all its glory but we managed one blurry photo:
After a quick walk around, we got the pilot on his way back home and secured the plane for the weekend. Salina is served by Sea Port Airlines with very reasonable flights to and from Kansas City three times a day Sunday through Friday.
Getting Started
A TKS installations always begins with an external inspection of the aircraft to identify any issues that we want to note for the owner. N853PA is a 2000 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in very good condition. It’s equipped with a 3-blade McCauley C703 prop and the 675 SHP PT6a-114A engine.The plane came to us with the cargo pod and pneumatic boots installed.
Comprehensive
The TKS system requires that plumbing be routed throughout the aircraft. The diagram below demonstrates the extent and positioning of the TKS plumbing and components.
Once our inspection was completed 853PA was defueled and moved into an installation bay where the prop was pulled and all access plates removed.
We then began the process of removing the interior seats, sidewalls and floorboards. The aft bulkhead was pulled to allow access to the empenage.
While the interior was being stripped the process of removing the boots from the leading edge began. This is tedious, time consuming work but has to be done carefully to ensure we have a clean surface for bonding the TKS porous panels to the surface.
