Abstract
Winter operations have long posed unique problems for the aviation community. According to Federal Aviation Regulations, no pilot may take off in an aircraft that has ice, snow, or frost adhering to the surface. This “clean aircraft concept” is difficult, if not impossible, for the pilots to assess from inside the aircraft. Equipment is in development to furnish the flight deck with icing information; however, these devices are not widely available and in many cases require costly retrofits. Pilots, unable to assess their aircraft’s external condition, often choose to return for additional deicing, necessitating the use of more glycol, thus jeopardizing the environment with additional glycol runoff entering the storm water system. A procedure has been developed to give the flight deck the necessary critical information concerning the state of the aircraft just before departure, providing a support system for pilot go/no-go decisions, increasing safety, and decreasing environmental hazards with reduced glycol usage. This Final Ice Detection Operation (FIDO) may be put into effect immediately with resources currently available at the nation’s airports and at minimal cost. A query of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Aviation Safety Reporting System was conducted for ground icing incidents. A case study was also performed on a randomly selected group of air carrier pilots to understand their current issues with ground deicing operations. The findings support FIDO. A cost-benefit analysis would determine the viability of this procedure.
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