Shortly after taking off, the aircraft stalled, crashing in a fireball just half a mile from the runway, killing all people onboard. The investigation cited the accident as being caused by Ice contamination on the wings. This ice formation caused the aircraft to experience high amounts of drag and loss of lift.
Then in , Air Ontario Flight crashed after takeoff killing 24 of the 69 people on board. The cause? Snow and Ice on the wings. Usually deicing fluids are ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol or propylene glycol based fluids containing water, corrosion inhibitors, wetting agents and dye.
Anti-icing fluids, on the other hand, are very similar, but more focused on ice buildups, and they last longer. Using large trucks with an extendable basket, aircraft are coated in de-icing or anti-icing fluids, significantly increasing the safety of winter operations. These fluids are integral to the safety of aircraft operations in cold climates.
The anti-ice and de-ice fluids help remove and protect the surfaces of aircraft from ice. Lastly, the solutions come in different colors. One of the most obvious parts of snow operations is clearing the snow. Airports throughout the world use large fleets of vehicles to clear snow, slush and other hazardous weather from the runways, taxiways and aprons. In fact, airports use many different types of vehicles and attachments to clear snow. These range from regular snowplows, to out-of-this-world-looking snowblowers.
Before the storm even hits the airport, the aprons and runways are covered with brine. Brine is a liquid with a high concentration of salt, which deters snow and ice from sticking to the ground. We have almost no problems," says Bredfell. The airport has 18 PSB ploughing, sweeping, blowing machines.
These are followed by snow throwers which move the line of snow left by the PSBs. Behind these come friction measuring vehicles that test the likelihood of skidding on the runway. The airport has more than 40 staff dedicated to snow during the winter months, and it claims to be the among the world's best at removing snow.
Its three runways take minutes to clear. But wherever you are, levels of disruption depend on how busy the airport concerned is.
At smaller airports the effects of the weather on schedules may be much less noticeable. Heavy snow can cause airport closures as it cannot be cleared while planes are landing and taking off.
Disruption is also exacerbated by the knock-on effects from other airports. But there is no possibility that icy disruption can be cured by heated runways.
The other is former military, fixing vehicles in combat zones. Whenever the airport purchases new equipment, Salazar makes sure that the purchase price includes training for drivers and mechanics. Local maintenance support from the manufacturer is another important criterion. As a backup, Salazar also uses vetted local shops that specialize in hydraulics and fabrication welding for certain jobs that require extended downtime for equipment. For preventive maintenance, all pieces are serviced both before and after each snow season.
We also do initial and recurrent familiarization training at the beginning of the season, followed by formation dry-run training twice a week in season," he concludes. Mercurial Conditions. We can get white-out snow, while a mile away it can be blue sky," Penor explains.
The storms come down from the north, through the Olympic Mountains, over Puget Sound and funnel right to us. Geography challenges notwithstanding, PAE is the main hub for Boeing, which builds aircraft on land immediately adjacent to the airport. The snow is wet and slushy, with drier snow on top. But snow isn't PAE's only winter problem. In all, PAE utilizes about 15 pieces of equipment, rotating units in and out throughout the winter. We pay shipping. Penor's crew includes 17 full-time maintenance employees, and most can operate all the trucks in the fleet.
An in-house mechanic performs almost all repairs, with periodic assistance from airport fire department mechanics as backup. Last year, the staff at PAE enjoyed a relatively uneventful winter. Industrywide Issues. Those plows are designed to be used in one lane of traffic, to cover maybe 11 or 12 feet. Another common challenge is budget restrictions. M-B does, however, sell used machines to airports. Karlin considers the training that is included with such purchases an important element.
Educating operators is a big challenge for some small airports that don't receive many winter storms, he notes: "They don't practice for snow removal They just don't know what to do when a snowstorm hits. Airports face a host of unique industry challenges, such as meeting efficiency regulations and seeking out the best maintenance practices to reduce costs and keep operations flowing. They were dissatisfied with the performance of the gearmotors on their baggage transport conveyors and began searching for new suppliers.
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