The Piper M600: Topping the Weather with Dick Rochfort

Dick Rochfort is a Master Certified Flight Instructor providing excellent training, pre-purchase consulting, aircraft relocation and expert witness services to owners, pilots and instructors of the Piper PA46 aircraft. He holds ATP, Commercial and Gold Seal Flight Instructor Certificates with SEL, SES, MEL, CFII, MEI, and CE-525S ratings. He has been a full-time flight instructor working exclusively in PA46 aircraft (all variants) since 1992 and has over 10,000 hours in Make/Model.

[@stevenshorten6184]

This might be an obvious questions but is icing not a concern because you’re above the clouds? What was the temperature above the clouds?

[@RWRPilotTraining]

Hi Stephen, that’s an excellent question. In order for ice to form there has to be moisture of some kind. Most frequently that moisture is clouds or small liquid drops. When we discuss icing, we talk about the probability of ice; not a possibility of ice. The CIP/FIP (Current Icing Potential/Forecast Icing Potential) is the best product to evaluate this probability. FIKI equipped aircraft have two types of equipment, anti-ice, such as heated propeller, heated windshield, heated stall warning vane, and deice items like boots. Ice typically forms when the temperature is between +10 C and -20 C. Ice is less likely to occur at colder temperatures, but vigilance should be maintained. I don’t remember what the temperature was on that particular day but it’s not unusual to see temperatures in the -30s and -40s. Fly Safely - Train Often .. DR