I wanted to take a ride down and see Frank III in North Carolina. Using my new FliteSoft planning software, it was plain to see that low ceilings and icing forecasts for the Virginia area would block my trip. I really was looking forward to this, so John and I took the consolation prize and filed IFR to Cape May County to practice flying instruments.
We were pretty much out of the clouds the entire time going over and the flight was good practice and uneventful. I flew the VOR alpha approach. On the way back, I had filed for a higher altitude and flew up into the clouds. Solid white everywhere. I had studied and reviewed weather factors the night before and knew my biggest risk that day was ice forming on the plane. I had my hands full flying instruments and programming my GPS for an approach into Wilmington (lost memory upon shut down), so I asked John to monitor the wings for ice. In a matter of just a few minutes the dampness on the windscreen turned to ice, and rime ice began accumulating on the wing leading edges and everything else hanging out in the wind.
I evaluated my options, how much time I still had to go in the clouds before I would descend anyhow, and how much ice (and what type of ice) I was accumulating. It was really exciting to learn something from books and go apply that knowledge to keep me safe. I requested a lower altitude and out of the clouds we came. Most of the ice on the windscreen was still there after we landed, and I was fairly surprised at how much ice had really accumulated. What an awesome learning experience! I was safe - and pushed out my limitations just a little. The pitot tube was the only thing without ANY ice - so I know the pitot heat works.