Hi!
Does anyone know if the cabin air and cabin heat controls in any way interacts with the flight model? For example, it could counteract windscreen icing. Or are those two controls just eye candy?
(Im building a physical cockpit and Im wondering if I safely can exclude these controls.)
Neither of those controls would do anything for canopy icing. Depending on the aircraft you’re flying, it may not be equipped for flight into icing conditions (152, 172, bunch of others). In planes that have deice capability, you’ll see some deice controls (e.g. C-208).
You can set the icing to just be visual and not affect the flight characteristics, but if you’ve got the icing affect set to realistic (in the options), you will have flight problems if you ice up.
Regards
So, those controls don’t really do anything in the sim?
By the way, I understand the Cessna 172 isn’t supposed to be flown in icy weather, but there is a deicing button, not sure if it works.
Although the Cessna 172 etc. are not approved for flight in icing conditions, the cabin air / windshield demister or whatever does prevent ice built-up on the windshield in real life, don’t ask how I know 
. But even without and in severe icing conditions, icing will NEVER look like it does in MSFS. It will never impair vision that much. The type and extend in MSFS is completely wrong, it looks like very extensive frost which you would expect on ground after parking in freezing fog overnight, not inflight icing.
Yes.
and
No.
Agree with the entire post, except…
In an aircraft not FIKIC certified, the defrost will provide some assistance but in certain circumstances ZERO visibility with a Jack Frost motif is a reality. 
And I won’t ask how you know, if you don’t ask how I know…
Well it is definitely possible to have the full windshield iced-up, I’ve seen that even on aircraft with windshield heat although very rare. In MSFS even light icing conditions will immediately ice up the whole windshield. So yes not impossible. I might need to rephrase that, what I mean is that it won’t look like MSFS because the type of ice is wrong, in MSFS it looks like a kind of frost which you would expect to form on your car overnight. Not on an aircraft during flight, it will be more like a kind of rime.
And then there is the cockpit side windows and cabin windows icing-up in flight when you turn the windshield heat OFF. Those windows are not even heated in the first place (cabin windows at least) and won’t pick up ice in flight, same with the side fuselage, side of the vertical stabilizer, top of the wing (unless in severe icing). And again it all looks like frost which you would expect on ground, not in flight.
All true…
Until flying low altitude thru -65c and punching through a Maritime warm front. 30% humidity at -65c to 99% at -2c in about 15 miles. Starts out like hoar frost then a nice rimey layer. Serious, “Oh Oh” moment. We call them Chinook. Have seen the temperature in my backyard go from -40 to +5 in the time it takes get a beer, (bit exaggerated, but not much).
It is a real treat if you are going out skating for the afternoon but not something you like to encounter while flying.
I would just like to add, that even though some of us in the community are hardcore sim users, it’s not recommended to go so far as to replicate those conditions in your home cockpit. This could be detrimental to not only your health but also that of your children/partner/housemates. Also, simulating a hot air windshield blower using your partner’s hairdryer may also be detrimental to health should it cause the hairdryer to break.
Just saying 
Is this a “do not try this at home” disclaimer?
I don’t know. My “home cockpit” has windows half way around and I generally fly in regions close to home, so I my “Live Weather” is usually pretty close. 
Where did you find a “deicing” button? I’ve looked around it, but only thing I see is cabin heat. I don’t have labels turned on, but if one of the “hint labels” is saying “deice”, then it needs to be reported and changed.
Only thing the Cessna 172 has is a pitot heat and carb heat (MSFS C172 has an injection engine so no carb heat installed), otherwise no anti-/de-icing equipment I’m aware off.
Yea that was the point I was trying to get across in my reply. If something is mislabeled we need to get it fixed.
Regards
My fault. I confused the 172 with the Mooney, which has a deicing button. (I’m building a cockpit that should work with multiple GA planes)
The cabin heater will do little for windscreen icing.
Check out Paul Sipple windchill theories.
The air outside is the dominant factor.
If you are cold, wear an extra sweater. 
Windshield demist works perfectly in preventing windshield icing, maybe not in severe icing conditions (nor should you be in those conditions in a Cessna) but these thin plastic windshields will heat up sufficiently to prevent ice built-up in light icing conditions. Been there, done that .
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