Ground de-icing methods
Ground de-icing removes or blocks airframe contamination before flight (TP 10643). Pick method by temperature, contamination amount, wind, contamination location, not habit.
Hangar (best method): stops contamination collecting.
- Cool hangared aircraft's skin below freezing before rolling out into precipitation (open doors early).
- Avoid hangaring with significant fuel in wing tanks if rolling out into precipitation: warm fuel keeps wing skin warm, so snow sticks or melts.
- Already contaminated: heated hangar loosens contamination, cuts de-icing fluid needed. Slow.
Wing covers:
- Prevents buildup on wing parked outside.
- Need ladders, care, large dry storage space to install and remove.
- Wing can sweat under cover and freeze cover to it.
Manual tools (broom, scraper, rope): use whenever safety allows. In extreme cold glycol fluid use is limited, so manual removal may be the only option (TP 10643 item 10).
| Tool | Best for | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Broom | Everyday tool; windows and radome (avoid hot liquid) | Aircraft-only broom, never a floor broom. Bristles sturdy enough to work, not stiff enough to damage skin. Pull leading edge to trailing edge, from the ground. Never stand on wing or tail to sweep it (slip risk, surface not built for weight). |
| Scraper | Wet, heavy snow | Protect wing where handle touches (e.g. foam wrap). Pull leading edge to trailing edge. |
| Rope | Light frost on wing or tailplane | Two people work it back and forth. Thicker frost: only polishes surface, frost stays. |
Dry, powdery snow: blow off with cold air or compressed nitrogen gas; shop broom cleans areas reachable from ground (TC AIM AIR 2.12.2).
Portable forced-air heater:
- Heated air through flexible duct melts and evaporates frost or ice. No fluid used, so melted water can refreeze fast.
- Keep duct moving, or heat can damage de-ice boots.
- In precipitation, brief warming can make snow stick.
Fragile sensors (pitot tubes, static ports, AOA sensors, vortex generators): pull contamination away from them with any manual tool, never into them.
Cold, dry snow blowing across wing without sticking: skip fluid, which makes it stick.
Tail: de-ice both sides of vertical stabilizer and rudder. Directional control problems can develop on certain aeroplanes if contamination removed from one side only (TP 10643).
Onboard equipment: de-icing and anti-icing equipment on certified aircraft cannot de-ice or anti-ice wings or empennage on ground; works only in flight (TC AIM AIR 2.12).
Trap: rope lifts only light frost; on thicker frost it polishes the frost smooth and wing stays contaminated.
References
- TP 10643 (When in Doubt... Small and Large Aircraft), ch.4
- TC AIM AIR 2.12.2
- TC AIM AIR 2.12