Improved Icing Detection in the Air

More than 1 in 100 of an aircraft’s ice encounters are outside of the “classic” icing certification envelopes. This can pose serious threats to safety:

  • Icing increases drag (CD), decreases lift (CL) and can cause loss of control.
  • A hot air system may not fully evaporate all impinging water drops. Runback ice can result. This can be detected using IVS’ microstrip resonator technology.
  • Tapping air from the engine to anti-ice systems can reduce the available thrust.
  • And automatic flight control systems can mask the effects of ice accumulation.

 

That’s why better detection of icing ahead is so critical, even for aircraft already equipped with icing protection systems. Early detection minimizes risk by alerting pilots to icing threats they may not otherwise see.

The new optical icing detection technology from IVS is truly innovative. It distinguishes between water and ice clouds, and can detect supercooled large droplets (SLDs). SLD is extremely hazardous to all aircrafts.

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