Icy Flights Help Researchers Collect Data on Flight Safety

摘要

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this winter launched a project called ICICLE, or the In-Cloud Icing and Large-Drop Experiment, which seeks to gather data on winter weather conditions that affect icing on airplane equipment in flight.Ice buildup on the surface of an aircraft can occur on the ground or inflight. When it happens on the ground, an aircraft must be deiced before takeoff. During a flight, ice can form when an aircraft flies through supercooled liquid water-water that remains liquid in the atmosphere at temperatures well below freezing.