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Government/Legislation
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FAA improves icing protection standards
In order to improve the safety of travelers and prevent situations where pilots are unaware of ice accumulation on an aircraft, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has updated its certification standards to require either automatic activation of ice protection systems or a method to inform pilots when they should be activated on new transport category airplanes. At this time, there is no plan to modify airplane designs that already exist; however, the FAA is currently considering a similar standard that would help improve older aircraft designs to enhance safety for all travelers on board.
The revised certification standards state that all new transport aircraft designs must have one of the following three methods in place:
- An automated ice detection system that immediately activates and/or alerts pilots to turn on the ice protection system
- A definition of visual signs of ice buildup on a specified surface such as the wings or wheels of the plane combined with an advisory system that alerts the pilots to activate the ice protection system
- Detection of temperature conditions contributing to airframe icing that would trigger the pilots to turn on the ice protection system
This new standard will help ensure that an ice protection system is always activated in order to prevent accidents from occurring on the runway during icy, cold weather conditions.
Sources: faa.gov, news.thomasnet.com, flightglobal.com
