Deicing boot

Such boots are generally installed on the leading edges of wings and control surfaces (e.g. horizontal and vertical stabilizer) as these areas are most likely to accumulate ice which could severely affect the aircraft's performance.

In its quest to develop deicing boots, the company built a large indoor facility in Akron to replicate bad weather and icing on aircraft wings.

Larger airliners and military jets tend to use heating systems within the wing, keeping it constantly warm and preventing ice from forming.

In 2008 the NTSB issued an alert[4] that pilots should, "activate boots as soon as the airplane enters icing conditions".

Unwarranted fear of ice bridging contributed to the fatal crash of Comair Flight 3272.

The black rubber deicing boot on the wing of a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 passenger aircraft is inflated with air, producing ridges to crack and dislodge any accumulated ice.
Operation of deicing boots
De-icing rubber boots on the wing leading edge of a Beechcraft 350