Lectura aerodinamica

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Weather No. 1

Aircraft Icing
Introduction
This Safety Advisor covers: • Icing accident statistics • Structural ice • Tailplaneicing • Deicing and anti-icing equipment • Ice flying strategies and tactics • Induction system ice

“When ice is encountered, immediately start working to get out of it. Unless the condition isfreezing rain, or freezing drizzle, it rarely requires fast action and certainly never panic action, but it does call for positive action.”
-Capt. Robert Buck

Why Ice Is Bad
Ice in flight is bad news.It destroys the smooth flow of air, increasing drag while decreasing the ability of the airfoil to create lift. The actual weight of ice on an airplane is insignificant when compared to the airflowdisruption it causes. As power is added to compensate for the additional drag and the nose is lifted to maintain altitude, the angle of attack is increased, allowing the underside of the wings andfuselage to accumulate additional ice. Ice accumulates on every exposed frontal surface of the airplane—not just on the wings, propeller, and windshield, but also on the antennas, vents, intakes, andcowlings. It builds in flight where no heat or boots can reach it. It can cause antennas to vibrate so severely that they break. In moderate to severe conditions, a light aircraft can become so iced upthat continued flight is impossible. The airplane may stall at much higher speeds and lower angles of attack than normal. It can roll or pitch uncontrollably, and recovery might be impossible. Ice canalso cause engine stoppage by either icing up the carburetor or, in the case of a fuel-injected engine, blocking the engine’s air source.

Sponsored by the FAA, Flight Safety Branch

Kinds of Iceand Their Effects on Flight
Structural ice is the stuff that sticks to the outside of the airplane. It is described as rime, clear (sometimes called glaze), or mixed. • Rime ice has a rough, milky...