Another Geosystems Inquiry, Help Greatly Appreciated

[Bhowdy44]

"In flying in cloudy conditions, the instrumentation tells me that the clouds extend up too high to get above and down too low to safely get below. The ice buildup on the wings is beginning to adversely affect the nandling of the plane, and I want to shed some of the ice. should I ascend or decend"?

[Count-A-Strong]

Are you a relative of Buddy Holly?

[jake-the-peg]

Can't help on this one not being a pilot- if Clanad is about he may be able to help.

I'd have thought you descend to warmer conditions but there might be some special reason why that's wrong

[Count-A-Strong]

Wouldn't help if you were flying over siberia, jake.

[jomifl]

It would depend on the adiabatic lapse rate

[jake-the-peg]

Well it would because every thousand feet lower you go you should wam up by 6 or 7 degrees C

Whethrt that's enough rather depends on a lot of factors

[jomifl]

adiabatic lapse rate is 3C per 1000 feet assuming no condensation or evaporation according to my met office book

[237SJ]

Why would you want to get below the cloud? You could stay in the cloud but just descend to warmer temps (unless you`re over high terrain in which case you could be stuffed)!

[Count-A-Strong]

If there was sufficient altitude, would the friction encountered melt the ice?

[Count-A-Strong]

Sorry, meant the friction caused by a steep dive.

[jomifl]

err ...no

[mibn2cweus]

When all else fails, drink lots of pretzels, eat lots of beer and . . . Fosters-on-it!

[mibn2cweus]

. . . and if you die, blame it one the cyber-censor.

[Clanad]

Jake's confidence is appreciated but misplaced in this instance... Problem is there's no "instrumentation" that can tell that the clouds... etc. Secondly, if we knew the weather conditions that are producing the clouds (type of fronts) we could then determine if we should climb or descend. Lacking any further information my best guess is the pilot should bend over and kiss his rear a solemn goodbye... because, in a short while he'll just be along for the ride...
JTP is on the right track about the adiabatic rate (it is 2.7 degrees C per 1,000 feet in dry air) but the problem is one would have to raise the temperature significantly above freezing to get any immediate relief.
High speed fighter aircraft could conceivably fly fast enough to compress the air sufficiently on the leading edges of the wings and tail to melt any ice accumulation... but that would be very fast indeed, although less than the speed of sound...

[wildwood]

Aren't clouds coldest at the bottom?

[jomifl]

No

[vascop]

So what's the answer then ascend or descend?

[mibn2cweus]

Why isn't 'retreat' listed as an option? Don't tell me these conditions were present where and when you took off? Decent isn't an option . . . it's an inevitability.

http://www.aopa.org/asf/publications/sa11.pdf

[squarebear]

Why not keep ascending and descending really quickly and shake the ice off?