Holding at the holding point for RWY 26 in Barrow, Alaska and about to embark on a North to South voyage that ultimately takes me to Ushuaia, I received Left and Right Forward Boot Fail messages after performing the surface de-ice tests. Temperature was -2°C and every so often I would see one snowflake. No knowing exactly what the issue was, I carried on. Telling myself that in any case, as it is now, I wouldn't need ice protection. Although we're under an overcast, I know it is very thin. After all test complete and on the active, sleet started. I made a command decision and pushed the power levers up. As expected, by 3.000 feet we broke out into the clear. Once at cruise, I started consulting the manuals (and the Active Failures Page) and deduced a R FWD WING BOOT INTEG failure. In other words, probably a boot leak. (Is that correct that this is a boot leak?)

I first consulted the abnormal checklist. Nothing there. So, then I switched to the MMEL to see what this failure could fall under. Surface de-icing is covered as a whole under MEL 30-8. Category C, 1 installed, 0 required as long as flight is not flown or planned into known or forecast icing conditions. A quick glance over to Ketchikan weather reveals 5 SM in light rain and mist, broken at 600 and overcast at 1600. However, the temperature is 11°C before sunrise. So, we press on.

I've got 10 calendar days to fix this baby. By then I should be down in California. A quick stop in Textron Aviation Services in Sacramento, CA might be in order.

What an amazing airplane, and what an experience to fly an airplane that's alive

Two questions:

1. If the right wing boot is leaking and I perform a manual boot inflate, shouldn't the pressure of the leaking boot drop more than the other? *(See attached picture)*This way a leaking boot can be diagnosed without consulting the failures tab.

2. Cruising at FL350 in -50°C OAT's, I would expect some contrail. However, there isn't any.

Can these two be looked at for any upcoming updates?