Winter wonder

Nothing will ruin an aircrew's day like having their flight path intersect unexpectedly with the horizon. Often that means grounding planes in adverse weather conditions rather than risk such a fate.

But AETE is trying to broaden the range of environmental conditions deemed safe for flight with a new and promising de-icing treatment:

"When an aircraft has ice, frost, or snow on it, we spray the wings down with a thin fluid that removes the ice from the surface, but if it's still snowing it sticks to the wings again meaning that the aircraft can't take-off," says Major Mark McCullins, Deputy Flight Commander of the Heavy Aircraft Evaluation Flight at the AETE.

But recent successful anti-icing fluid tests on the CC-130 Hercules and the CP-140 Aurora by air and ground crew from Comox, B.C., Greenwood, N.S., and Winnipeg, Manitoba, will change the way SAR aircraft will fly. It's expected that the clearance for using the anti-icing fluid will be obtained before the fall, in time for the 2008 Canadian winter months.

"After de-icing there is a thick anti-icing fluid that we can apply to the wings to prevent build up of more ice and snow, and to prevent anything else sticking to the wings. Because it's so thick we need to know how the aircraft will behave with it applied. That's why we test it," says Maj McCullins, who was the Combined Test Force Commander for the tests.

The results were favorable.

Anything that keeps planes in the air, performing their essential missions, is worth applauding. BZ to the folks at AETE.