Icing (aeronautics)

They freeze on contact with a potential nucleation site, which in this case is the parts of the aircraft, causing icing.

Icing conditions are characterized quantitatively by the average droplet size, the liquid water content and the air temperature.

These parameters affect the extent, type and speed that characterize the formation of ice on an aircraft.

Federal Aviation Regulations contain a definition of icing conditions[4] that some aircraft are certified to fly into.

However, this is counteracted by airframe surface friction at higher airspeed, and as a result, structural icing is minimal when speed is above 575 kn (1,065 km/h; 662 mph).

It generally form as rime or mixed icing and tends to be confined in a 3,000–4,000 ft (910–1,200 m) thick layer.

Stall characteristics of an aircraft with ice-contaminated wings will be degraded, and serious roll control problems are not unusual.

Unmanned aircraft are an emerging technology with a large variety of commercial and military applications.

In-flight icing occurs during flight in supercooled clouds or freezing precipitation and is a potential hazard to all aircraft.

If ice (or other contaminants) are present on an aircraft prior to takeoff, they must be removed from critical surfaces.