First Alert Weather In-Depth: Winter and the battle for flight safety
Rochester, N.Y. – We know how much work goes into keeping our area roadways free of ice and snow. But what about our own Fredric Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport? And more importantly, how winter affects the airplanes we fly in? If you search the internet you will find plenty of pictures of planes with snow and ice on the wings. Not the most comfortable sight, especially if you see the same thing looking out from the airport terminal. Obviously, that is a big concern for safety, but the workers on the tarmac do the kind of work to keep us safe.
Recently, I was on one of these planes and very concerned about the delay I was experiencing and possibility of missing my connection. However, I quickly came to the realization that this is actually a good thing in regard to our safety.
Any ice or snow on a small Cessna or large Boeing jet should present some serious red flags. Any amount of snow or ice is a major problem for an airline and hence, the pilots. First, any frozen precipitation adds weight to the plane and compromises the integrity of the structure. In addition, winter precipitation can inhibit the aerodynamics of the plane. The snow or ice can also block sensors or vents creating additional technical problems. It can also be a danger to the engine itself and if a chunk of ice flies off and enters the engine compartment it could be a disaster in the making.
To mitigate the problem, ground crews can spray several types of chemicals before the flight. It will likely start with a heated glycol-water solution which is warmed to a temperature range of 140 to 150 degrees. This removes or cleans any of the initial ice or snow from the fuselage. The second type of chemical is propylene glycol which is a gel solution. This is more of an anti-freeze type product that keeps the plane ice free before take-off. In addition, large passenger planes have heated wings and to keep from ice build-up during flight.