Instructive Illustrations

Four cartoon depictions of aircraft in icing. The individual images are described in detail below.

Summary

While icing weather is a serious topic for aircraft, several sources have used [debatably] humorous, instructive illustrations of the hazards.

Discussion

Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel. AC 00-6A (Cancelled) 1

Chapter 10 Icing. A pilot sits in or on a small cartoon airplane, much of which is encased in a block or ice.

See also The Greatest Thing That You Have (Probably) Never Read: AC 00-6A (Cancelled)

"Mechanical De-Icing Systems" 2

A cartoon drawing of an airplane in flight, with pilots visible in the flight deck windows. There is snow on the ground below. Mechanical arms are coming out from hatches on the airplane, removing ice from the wing leading edge with ice picks. Caption: "Most practical de-icers I ever saw". Artist: Dick Sha.

See also University of Michigan Airplane Icing Information Course, 1953.

Air Command Weather Manual (Canada) 3

Chapter 9 Aircraft Icing. A pilot sitting in or on a small cartoon airplane pushes up against the lid of a box of ice around the airplane. The caption reads: "Aircraft accidents generally occur after a series of events place a pilot in a box from which be [he?] cannot escape. Icing is one of the events that can close the box, making an accident inevitable. Your knowledge of icing and how it affects your aircraft may prevent the last side of the box from closing."

Icing Hazards - National Weather Service 4

Adverse Effects to Flight. A cartoon of an airplane with ice on the wings, and a pilot in an open cockpit, with stylized human forces of reduced thrust pushing aft, increased drag pulling aft, decreased lift pushing down, and increased weight pulling down.

NASA - Introduction to Aircraft Icing 5

Impact on Aerodynamic Performance. A cartoon of an airplane and a pilot in an open cockpit, with at arrow on their helmet indicating up. There are repair patches on the aiprlane wings and body. Arrows show decreases thrust, decreases lift, increases weight, increases drag.

Notes

  1. Anon.: Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel. AC 00-6A (Cancelled), FAA, issued April, 1975, cancelled 2016. faa.gov ↩

  2. Loughborough, D. L.:"Mechanical De-Icing Systems", (B. F. Goodrich Company), Lecture No. 10, University of Michigan Airplane Icing Information Course, 1953. ↩

  3. Anon., Air Command Weather Manual (Canada), CFACM 2-70, May 22, 2001. ↩

  4. weather.gov ↩

  5. Von Hardenberg, Paul: Introduction to Aircraft Icing and NASA’s Approach to Understanding It. March 29, 2022. ntrs.nasa.gov ↩

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