An important topic for flying in the Colorado Rockies.

I figured a post on fight icing is due.  Tis the season for flight icing.  Today, I’m watching it snow and my flight lessons for the day have been cancelled due to inclement weather.

In-flight icing represents a severe threat to the safety of general aviation aircraft.  The handling qualities and capabilities of any aircraft can be negatively affected by ice; however there are strategies a pilot can use to minimize the risks associated with in-flight icing.  These steps include preflight planning and analysis to avoid icing conditions, detecting conditions which may result in icing, formulating a plan to exit icing conditions, and dealing with degradation in handling and performance.

Want to know more?  Follow the link below for the full article.  Another good resource is the "Pilot’s Guide to Flight Icing", this is a CD-ROM available through the NASA Glenn Research Center for a nominal shipping charge.

See Also

• Flight Icing Considerations for General Aviation Aircraft
  Full Paper