Mark Porto – Beechcraft V35B Bonanza TKS Testimonial

30th October 2017

Mark Porto lives in the Midwest and flies to Canada (Ontario and Quebec), the Midwest, East Coast and Southeast. He owns a 1970 Beechcraft V35B Bonanza that is equipped with inadvertent TKS Ice Protection. Mark has flown the TKS-equipped aircraft for 2 years.

How did you get started in aviation?

I was one of those kids who always liked airplanes and flying. As soon as I had the money, I walked into a flight school, started taking lessons and eventually bought an airplane. I love flying and fly whenever I have the chance. It has to be a really, really bad day with bad weather for me to not like flying. Otherwise, I’m always happy flying an airplane.

Why did you choose TKS?

I was looking for a de-icing system because I’m in the Midwest and fly up to Canada. At the time when I was looking, TKS was the only choice for the V-tail.

What does TKS do for your mission?

TKS gives you the extra margin of safety in the event you encounter inadvertent icing. That happens a lot more frequently than I would like. The weather, especially when you go up to Ontario through the Great Lakes, can be unpredictable. It gives you the out you need to make it to your destination or make a change in plans.

Have you had any memorable experiences with TKS?

Going into Peterborough, Ontario, a storm came across the lake. Everything was backed up. It came fairly quickly. TKS allowed me the time to divert and land without any issues whatsoever. Another encounter happened flying from Chicago to New York to Bridgeport, Connecticut. Getting into Bridgeport, which is close to the Atlantic, there were no issues. It’s been good. It’s done what I need it to do.

How do other ice protection systems compare to TKS?

I had a Baron that had boots and alcohol. The nice thing about TKS is that the spray from the prop completely keeps the windscreen clean, even without having to deice the windscreen. The prop is almost completely ice-free. I’ve never had any accretion on the tail. You need to turn on and prime the system before you encounter icing, otherwise the system will take a while to de-ice. The boot system has no protection from runback, so you’re going to accrete ice. With the TKS sprayback on a single engine, I never got any ice on the antennas or the windscreen.

Learn More About TKS for the Beechcraft Bonanza