The FAA has issued a final rule that prohibits Part 91K, 135 and 121 operators from taking off with “polished frost”–meaning frost buffed to make it smooth–on an aircraft’s wings, stabilizers and control surfaces. The new rule takes effect at the end of this month. Previous FAA guidance recommended removing all wing frost before takeoff, but allowed it to be polished smooth if the aircraft manufacturer’s recommended procedures were followed.
Thermodynamics
November 12, 2009 - 9:20pm
For parched Dubai 2009 visitors here in the desert it is hard to imagine that excessive humidity could be an issue. But no matter what the local outside environment, it can soon become a problem inside an aircraft full of people, not only in terms of passenger and crew comfort, but also in terms of the amount of fuel burned in carrying the excess payload of water generated by condensation.
February 21, 2009 - 5:10pm
Savings of up to 40 percent on jet fuel for the Rolls-Royce 250 turbine-engine family? That is the prospect offered by Frontline Aerospace, said company CEO Ryan Wood in describing an emerging aviation technology called gas turbine recuperation.
May 8, 2008 - 10:28am
With ever larger numbers of ultra-long-range business jets taking to the skies, individual complaints about dry air in the cabin have grown to a chorus of demands for humidifiers. But while manufacturers would like to oblige, most have yet to come up with a system that is both airplane and people friendly.
March 26, 2008 - 10:52am
A preliminary report issued by the UK Air Accidents Investigation Board on the January 4 crash of Challenger 604 N90AG at Birmingham, England, raises a suspicion that frost or ice on the wing may have been a factor. The aircraft, operated by Epps Aviation of Atlanta on behalf of agricultural machinery manufacturer Agco, had arrived the previous evening at 8:39 p.m. after a nonstop flight from West Palm Beach, Fla.
May 3, 2007 - 11:39am
Comments are due today on an FAA draft letter of interpretation released April 3 on the meaning of the term “known icing conditions.” At press time, 82 comments had been filed, mainly by individuals.
April 30, 2007 - 5:52am
In an unusual policy step, the FAA sought comments last month on a draft letter of interpretation regarding the meaning of the term “known icing conditions,” used–but undefined–in the FARs.
April 5, 2007 - 12:44pm
An FAA draft letter of interpretation seeks public comment by May 3 on the meaning of the term “known icing conditions,” used–but undefined–in the FARs.
February 1, 2007 - 10:24am
Operators of all U.S.-registered Challenger 600s, 601s and 604s and Canadair Regional Jets, which are derived from the business jet, must incorporate flight manual revisions to ensure that before takeoff the “wing leading edge and upper wing surface are completely free of ice, frost, snow or slush,” under a new AD. The FAA directive (AD 2005-04-07) followed an identical AD from Transport Canada.
