Joebob21

Looking for ideas/best practices to help reduce deicing cost. What do you or your company do to reduce cost associated with deicing. Obviously a hanger when available is preferred but not always possible. Thoughts?

JohnBurke

If you can hangar, then hangar, but short of that, if you need to deice or treat the airplane, then do it. Not something to screw around with.

Leave later in the day, plan around freezing fog, plan to avoid precip on the ground (schedule accordingly). Short of that, if you're in conditions that require deice, then that's the cost of doing business.

I'm not a big fan of attempting an end-run around deice. It turns to the slippery slope of justification. It's just a little frost. It will be okay.

Except, not.

Pilot4000

1. Schedule flexibility
2. Hangar

Aside from that, you're at the mercy of the elements and the guy in the deice bucket. Winter ops can be a challenge, and there will be time you gotta pay the piper and get the airplane sprayed.

2StgTurbine

The skill de-icing crew is the biggest variable. Some are great at minimizing overspray, and some just let that fluid pour out as they reposition the boom. Kind of out of your control. But if de-icing costs concern your operation, then they probably shouldn't be in the business.

Brickhut

Amen! Was lucky enough to get a spot in the hangar at KSUN about 10 years ago. Rate was $550 for a turboprop. Owner said no way, we should be fine in the morning. Owner shows up at 0800 the next morning, it's 21 degrees, plane is a popsicle. Hangar is full now, so no warm up. $3700 de-icing bill.

So damn glad I'm out of the 91/134-1/2 world!

Brickhut

We used to carry a 3 gallon garden sprayer filled with a 75/35 mix of Type 1 for those nights when we knew we'd pick up a little frost when we were departing just after sunset. I light coating in the wings and h-stab usually did the trick....again LIGHT FROST ONLY.

ZippyNH

A soft bristle broom (about as soft as a paintbrush)on an older paint job/unfinished surfaces to knock off loose snow also helps....one that was never used on the ground....very carefully....great to limit the number of gallons sprayed since you can often knock off the looser snow.
Many freightdogs avoid de-iceing routinely, and safely....yup paint-jobs are terrible, but paint in cargo is to control corrosion, not too keep a plane pretty, so 20+ years is common before a repaint, with little to no hanger time and lots of flying in weather...
Have also known people that add or use the thinner type of TKS fluid in a sprayer, basically does the same as adding a bit of alcohol to the type 1 to help it "eat" the frost or crack ice off at higher concentration.... SIMILARLY actually eats snow that lands on it if it is very light.
But on a more serious note, ever have a plane frost over as it's pulled out of a warm hanger? This tends to be the primary use of a garden sprayer with glycol.... Tip, store it in a 5 gallon bucket, typical strapped to a wall someplace, and be sure to release the psi after each leg...or the change in cabin/cargo psi will result the overpressure relief valve opening, dumping it's contents if not upright (hense the bucket).
Again, if you NEED to get sprayed, get sprayed, the application is more for peace of mind.

QRH Bingo

This is a pretty broad and vague question by the OP. A bit of elaboration might help to give you more effective responses.
How many aircraft are you operating?
What is the size of the plane?
Do you have flexibility with scheduling departures?
Small planes can be managed pretty well by just the pilot (or other employee) effectively, as already explained above. If you have to use an FBO or other aviation service to spray the plane(s), communicating with them to help manage how efficiently they are actually spaying the plane will help them to understand how to use only the amount necessary. These people don't have to pay for the fluid so they don't care how much they are over spraying.

Brickhut

Me frakshunds ronged. Dam fone.