Marc Mosier lives in Virginia and primarily flies as a trans-Atlantic ferry pilot. He has delivered a dozen Cirrus SR22s with inadvertent TKS Ice Protection and Mooney M20s with inadvertent or FIKI certified TKS.
TKS for the Cirrus SR22 is now only available as a factory-installed FIKI certified option.
How did you get started in aviation?
Forty years ago I started as a recreational pilot and later became a ferry pilot.
Why did you choose TKS?
TKS was the only approved way of adding ice protection to a Mooney that I owned.
What does TKS do for your mission?
It allows me to launch where I would not launch if I did not have the guarantee that I would be able to survive an icing encounter.
Have you had any memorable experiences with TKS?
You don’t cross the Atlantic without having memorable icing encounters. I have crossed the pond several times with non-FIKI Cirrus. In doing so, I have picked up ice several times and have been able to shed it every time.
Have you flown in aircraft with other ice protection systems?
Yes, I have had experience with boots and electrothermal.
The main advantage of TKS is that you don’t burden the airplane with weight if you don’t need it. In the summertime, you can drain some of the fluid because you need less. [We recommend you prime the TKS system year-round once a month.] The weight penalty is fairly minimal. The drag penalty is also fairly minimal compared to boots. And maintenance is lighter than it would be with boots which you have to replace after a while.
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