The only ice you are dealing with at present may well be the cube in your G&T, but somewhere in the world there's an aircraft taking off in winter conditions.
Winter flying is, and always will be, a dangerous operation. Advances in de-icing technology are therefore always welcomed.
Having won a Flight International award for technological design in 1995, Group Intertechnique's ice detection system is on show for the first time at Farnborough ‘96 (H1/D12).
The French company claims that its wing contamination detection system answers flight crew's needs in a four pronged attack. Using ultrasonic technology based on acoustic impedance measurements, the system detects the presence of any contaminant on the critical flight surfaces, identifies the nature of the contaminant, measures its thickness and advises the flight crew on situations and trends.
Ian Campbell, managing director of the group's UK subsidiary, Intertechnique (Aerospace), explains how the company's experience is driving its systems monitoring programme.
"We have extensive experience with the use of ultrasonic technology and have found that the acoustic impedance is an ideal characteristic for determination of contamination.
"Of course the final decision for taking-off, de-icing and avoiding icy conditions areas still remains under the responsibility of the pilot. However the Wing Contamination Monitoring Systems will provide the flight crews with scientific information, unavailable today, about the condition of flight surfaces."
Source: Flight Daily News
