Could flight delays for de-icing become a thing of the past?
A U.S. company tests a solution that could save time, money and reduce environmental impacts
Now that cold temperatures have returned, air travellers in parts of North America and Europe are back to wondering how long their flights will be delayed due to winter storms and aircraft de-icing. At this time of year planes often are required to taxi to a special ramp where ground crews spray antifreeze (glycol) over the wings and tail to remove snow accumulation and prevent ice from forming on takeoff. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on how many other planes are waiting
Sometimes the delay can be longer still. A Canadian airline, WestJet, this week cancelled 464 flights over four days of extreme cold weather. Temperatures were so low (colder than -25 degrees Celsius) that de-icing fluid was ineffective in 11 cities through the cold snap.
I’ll add a personal anecdote: on a flight I boarded last year our plane was delayed more than an hour when the ground crew ran out of anti-freeze midway through the procedure and was forced to leave the airfield to resupply their vehicle while we waited on the tarmac.
Now there’s hope that this type of chemical spraying will become a thing of the past. A Massachusetts startup company, De-Ice Technologies, has come up with a new system for melting ice on airplane wings. The firm has signed a deal with it’s first partner, Air Canada, for field testing of the concept. The airline has outfitted one of its Airbus A320 aircraft with the De-Ice product for a trial run this winter. The innovation consists of special tape strips that are affixed to the wings. When the aircraft is being maneuvered away from the ramp, the pilot can push a button to send a high-frequency current through the filaments. Much like an induction stove top, heat is produced when moving electrons collide with the atoms in the metal on the wing. This heat melts any ice and snow on the airfoil in a matter of minutes, often by the time the plane reaches the active runway.
Modern aircraft already have other warming equipment that is switched on during flight to keep ice from forming on important external control surfaces, but this new idea from De-Ice is designed to eliminate the need for that labour-intensive pre-flight glycol spraying of the wings.
Jason Brown, an Air Canada manager who oversees winter operations, told Fast Company magazine that "Air Canada alone has about 45,000 de-icing events per year...As a pilot, I’ve been there. If you’re doing four legs, like Toronto to Washington D.C. and back, and you’re de-icing four times; it makes for a very long day.”
Brown said other ideas have been considered by the airline over the years, but none so far have met the triple challenges of technological, operational and regulatory requirements. The De-Ice Technologies solution so far seems the most feasible.
If the product is deemed successful, it will reduce costs and limit the environmental impact for air operators. And, to the likely satisfaction of many air travellers, it also will save significant amounts of time during winter travel.
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(Sources and links related to this article are at the bottom of the newsletter)
A change in atmosphere
I had a pleasant experience recently at the start of a trip from Vancouver to Toronto. As I and dozens of fellow travellers stepped off public transit and entered the main terminal building, hauling our luggage and winter coats, we were greeted by a musician playing a grand piano in the hall between the domestic and international check-in areas. The psychological effect was one of immediate relaxation, like stepping away from a noisy street into a warmly lit, upscale hotel lobby. What a welcome surprise. Our spirits lifted. Edginess was replaced with calm. The lineups did not seem so bad. We even smiled.
Music does indeed soothe the savage beast.
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Positive News
A media organization that promotes coverage of good news (described as "what's going right in the world") has partnered with an outdoor advertiser in the United Kingdom to share uplifting information on public billboards.
With studies showing that many people are avoiding traditional news because it makes them depressed or gives them anxiety, this partnership will be worth monitoring.
The media company, Positive News, said in a press release that it sees "a growing need and appetite for news that is focused on positive responses to problems, rather than just the problems themselves."
Clear Channel UK joined forces with the content publisher as part of a shared vision of being a "platform for good." Last year Clear Channel donated media space to more than 50 charities.
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In perspective: Hunter S. Thompson, Donella Meadows and Walt Whitman
"Good news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond." - Hunter S. Thompson
"There is too much bad news to justify complacency. There is too much good news to justify despair." - Donella Meadows
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and shadows will fall behind you.” - Walt Whitman
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This week’s sketch from my notebook
A tug moored on the Fraser River, British Columbia.
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Thanks for reading Zanepost. If you know anyone who might be interested in this weekly letter, kindly share it. I’m always happy to grow this community. Previous posts are found on the main web page, linked here.
Warm regards,
-Renato.
Sources and links for the de-icing innovation:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boston-based-company-ice-brings-130000938.html
https://calgaryherald.com/business/westjet-recovery-464-flights-cancelled-extreme-cold
Related aviation articles on Zanepost:
Sustainable aviation fuels are here
Airships may be a solution to supply challenges for Canada’s remote communities
Additional photo credit:
The picture of Hunter S. Thompson shows him sitting at the Baccarat Lounge at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in 1971. It is from "Cashman Photo Enterprises, Inc." Published by Random House, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Link is here.
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