Cessna To Fit Caravans with TKS Anti-Icing

Cessna said it will offer a TKS “weeping wing” anti-icing system for the Cessna Grand Caravan starting next March, using a system manufactured by Aerospace Systems & Technologies of Salina, Kan. The Cessna system will include laser-drilled titanium TKS panels installed on the leading edges of the wings, wing struts and horizontal and vertical stabilizers. A sling ring will protect the propeller blades, and a windshield spray bar will eliminate the need for a windshield heater. Also eliminated are de-ice boots on the landing-gear legs and forward belly cargo pod. The modification improves performance because bleed air is no longer needed for de-ice boots, and there is no performance-robbing boot inflation. Payload increases because the TKS system removes the 200-pound weight restriction for flight into known icing. The TKS system with full tank weighs less than 200 pounds. Anti-icing endurance is more than three hours with a full tank.