wrote in message
...
In my own defense, I would like to say that a bit of enroute IFR
shortly after obtaining the ticket is exactly what I was looking for in a
"safe learning experience." I knew I didn't need to worry about the
weather at the end, so I could work on working the system.

The light ice was unexpected, but with 10 degree of temperature
separation between the icing at freezing altitude and the MEA enroute, it
was about as "safe" as an icing experience can be. Besides, unless you
mothball the plane from October to May, ice is something that you might
accidentally find yourself in. In a higher stress situation, the overrich
mixture engine miss I experienced while climbing from 7-9 with carb heat
might have required more neurons than I could spare. Now this goes in the
memory bank to poll later.

: 1. You just got your certificate - be safe(r).
VFR only? Aside from the unexpected ice, that's about the only
thing safer than some enroute soup.

: 2. Don't play with ice - it kills.
Yes it does. This flight taught me to respect how quickly ice can
be found, even when unexpected. Since I'm not willing to stop flying for
6 months when it's possible to do so, I'm trying to learn more about icing
potential, etc.

Then you should know that icing is statistical in nature and you should
leave those conditions promoting icing; as soon as possible.