De Ice Boots Preventative Care
De Ice Boots Preventative Care
If you have de-ice boots on your aircraft you realize that for them to last you will need to keep them in new condition. In days gone buy aviators and aircraft mechanics have used all sorts of things to keep them in mint condition. This is especially serious if you park your aircraft out doors for any length of time. Like tires the rubber in de-ice boots gets old and checks. I can remember as a young man cleaning aircraft in trade for flight time often using floor wax on the de-ice boots. It worked well indeed.I distinctly remember one day using floor wax and then having to climb onto the aircraft and sat on the well saturated de-ice boots I had just coated with lots of Floor Wax. The floor wax soaked thru my Levis and underwear and crinkled by rear end to the point of a horribly painful experience. Floor wax as it dries on skin is not a pretty thing, boy did it hurt and I never did that again.Today there are special chemically engineered product you can use to keep the de-ice boots in new condition and make sure they work when you need them most. As ice is forming on the leading edge of the wing as your depart IFR from an airport a gross weight. One product I recommend is "PBS Boot Sealant" which is available at many Fixed Base Operators (FBOs). PBS stands for Pneumatic Boot Sealant and you can also order it online at; www.JetStreamProducts.com .It is fairly expensive in price about $40 for a one quart bottle or $33.00 each for a case of twelve, which will run you $400.00; but it is well worth it and you can only imagine how costly it will be if the A and P Mechanic at your next annual inspection tells you that those de-ice boots need to be replaced. Being that de-ice boots are a safety item many AI Mechanics will not sign off the annual if the boots look checked or old. You may have noticed your de-ice boots with a grungy, yellowed tint or white'ish gray from being waxed over; the PBS product can take care of all that indeed. Light Plane Magazine stated in one of their articles; "Make no mistake, the PBS Boot system is the best boot treatment we've ever seen." I concur having been in the aircraft cleaning business for over 25 years; www.AircraftWashGuys.com (currently not taking on new clientele). I remember an article in AOPA Magazine also touting the PBS product.If your de-ice boots look too far gone already try some floor wax and then PBS prep and then the sealant. The prep runs about $16.00 per quart and is a good first step. Save you de-ice boots as they may save your life. Think on this."Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
Two Poems: Black Poncho, and Spirits of de Copan [in English and Spanish]
Two Poems: Black Poncho, and Spirits of de Copan [in English and Spanish]
English Version12) Black Poncho(of Saint Cosme Hill, by Lima, Peru)Lost in the grottos of Peru-
By the hills of Huancayo
Black Poncho was given
A treasure of gold?;
By none other than,
Demonic goblins!?in the form of scorching fruit;
Hence, Black Poncho fooled
The goblins of oldBy using his poncho to pull
The sizzling golden fruit
Through the Andes to Lima, Peru!?Henceforward, he was swindled
By a jeweler of dire repute.
Thus, his life changed
(as so often they do);
And now he lives with:
Thirty-five dogs, on San Cosme Hill.Note: Information taken from a number of conversations with the locals of Lima, Peru (and my father-in-law) especially from a conversation with Hernan Espinoza, a waiter in Lima, Peru, as he remembered it (the year being: l945); 5-4-2005; #625; there is also another side to this man, one that is considered to more on the side of Robin Hood,the thief; as Papa Augusto would have it.Versi
Three Poems: Phantom of the Rocks; Lady from Lima & Bell Ringer of de Copan
Three Poems: Phantom of the Rocks; Lady from Lima & Bell Ringer of de Copan
Phantom of the Rocks[Huancayo, Peru]Night falls deepUpon the traveler!Low, over the AndesBy Huancayo-;They know a legend,Not of this earth,Where evil lurks(Over Palla-Huarcuan!...)"The Phantom of the Rocks";Should you pass thru there,At night-be aware:Expect not to return!...Note: There is a rock in the form of an Indian Maiden; this is considered the evil spirit of the area. #657 5/13/05Lady from Lima[Dona Ana-1668 AD]Dona Ana-but twenty-nineYears old-
Ruled Lima, Peru, withDiamonds and gold.
Haunted with pride andNobility?
She dressed in splendorFor all to see!
And pardoned a friarWho was quite thirsty!#659 5/2005Bell Ringer: de CopanIn the cathedral de Copan
the Bell Ringer was a boy-
and his only job(to my knowledge was),
was to the ring the bells?
in the town-let of the cathedral.It so happened that (one nightaround dusk) ,
the lad, with mortal anguish,
inspired madness-in thedeliriumof the moment:
rang the bells like Holy Hell!!(As I was witness to this all.)He rang the bells, as if they hadwings-!
As if this was his sermon-.
As he dashed against the TowerWalls-:He rang the bells like Holy Hell!!
He rang the bells with Royaldecree!!
He swung on the ropes like amonkey.Echoes, echoes-passed throughthe plaza-square;
as sinful strollers, strolledeverywhere?.As he rang the bells like Holy Hell!!And now tell me: what couldI do?
I pealed my hat off my head,And kneeled on a pew.Note: Occurrence happened as described in the poem, April, 2005
while visiting the archeological site nearby. #658 [May 13, 2005]Dennis Siluk is a poet, and author. He is working on his 30th book called, "The Treasure of Catalina Wanka," and will have a presentation of it in Lima, Peru in November at the Ricardo Palma house, under the director Luis Cuillermo Guedes Ontaneda, so he looks forward to seeing those whom may be passing through, or perhaps live there. His site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com