Introduction to De-icing and Anti-icing for Canadian Pilots
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Every Canadian pilot is aware of the hazards posed by ice, frost, and snow adhering to an aircraft. Whether you're brushing off snow after a storm or dealing with frost early in the morning, contamination removal is a task every student pilot becomes familiar with. Depending on your aircraft type, you may have used brushes, ropes, mops, or basic de-icing fluids. Photo by Buddy Photo on Unsplash As you transition from training to commercial flying, managing winter operations becomes more complex. You’re not only removing contamination, but also dealing with active precipitation —such as snow, sleet, freezing rain, freezing drizzle, and freezing fog. A Quick Refresher: Key Concepts Before we dig deeper into de-icing and anti-icing procedures, it’s worth revisiting some critical safety basics: Never attempt takeoff with any ice, frost, or snow on critical surfaces. Critical surfaces include : wings, control surfaces, rotors, propellers, vertical and horizontal stabilizers, and, for a...