A probe system for an aircraft comprising: a heater comprising a resistive heating element routed through the probe system, wherein an operational voltage is provided to the resistive heating element to provide heating for the probe system; a capacitive measurement circuit configured to determine a capacitance between the resistive heating element and a metallic sheath of the heater and to provide the capacitance between the resistive heating element and the metallic sheath of the heater to a control circuit ; and the control circuit configured to provide the operational voltage and monitor the capacitance between the resistive heating element and the metallic sheath of the heater over time by storing and plotting the capacitance over a plurality of flights of the aircraft and determining a present slope of an exponential function of the plot of the capacitance; wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine a remaining useful life of the probe system based on the capacitance between the resistive heating element and a metallic sheath of the heater and to determine a half-life estimate of the resistive heating element based upon the present slope of the exponential function; wherein the capacitive measurement circuit : (i) is a resistor-capacitor, RC, or resistor-inductor-capacitor, RLC, circuit connected such that a capacitor for the RC or RLC circuit is a capacitance between a lead wire of the heating element and the metallic sheath ; or (ii) includes a ring oscillator . a heater comprising a resistive heating element routed through the probe system, wherein an operational voltage is provided to the resistive heating element to provide heating for the probe system; a capacitive measurement circuit configured to determine a capacitance between the resistive heating element and a metallic sheath of the heater and to provide the capacitance between the resistive heating element and the metallic sheath of the heater to a control circuit ; and the control circuit configured to provide the operational voltage and monitor the capacitance between the resistive heating element and the metallic sheath of the heater over time by storing and plotting the capacitance over a plurality of flights of the aircraft and determining a present slope of an exponential function of the plot of the capacitance; wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine a remaining useful life of the probe system based on the capacitance between the resistive heating element and a metallic sheath of the heater and to determine a half-life estimate of the resistive heating element based upon the present slope of the exponential function; wherein the capacitive measurement circuit : (i) is a resistor-capacitor, RC, or resistor-inductor-capacitor, RLC, circuit connected such that a capacitor for the RC or RLC circuit is a capacitance between a lead wire of the heating element and the metallic sheath ; or (ii) includes a ring oscillator . (i) is a resistor-capacitor, RC, or resistor-inductor-capacitor, RLC, circuit connected such that a capacitor for the RC or RLC circuit is a capacitance between a lead wire of the heating element and the metallic sheath ; or (ii) includes a ring oscillator . <EOS>