Resources

Published: Mon 12 February 2024
Updated: Sat 18 May 2024

Introduction

The good news is that these resources comprise thousands of pages of reading.
The bad news is that these comprise thousands of pages of reading.

A few experts that I know have confessed that they have not read all of what I consider to be "The Big Three", let alone everything listed here. So, you can probably get along by not reading everything.

Most of the resources are online and available at no cost. Some are copyrighted, and available for purchase or online access rental. Your local library may be able to borrow some of them for you through inter-library loan.

The Big Three

These total to over 800 pages (over 1200 if one counts all three volumes of DOT/FAA/CT-88/8), but they can give you broad exposure to aircraft icing technology. However, they are now a little dated (the most recent, DOT/FAA/CT-88/8, was updated in 1993).

If I had to pick only one, it would be DOT/FAA/CT-88/8.

  • "Engineering Summary of Airframe Icing Technical Data", ADS-4 apps.dtic.mil

  • "Ice, Frost, and Rain Protection", AIR1168/4 sae.org

  • The "Aircraft Icing Handbook", DOT/FAA/CT-88/8-1 apps.dtic.mil
    Also note that there was a perhaps little known update in 1993: apps.dtic.mil
    The update contains only the updated pages. This worked fine when one printed the pages, punched holes, and manually substituted them into a three ring binder, but not so well in the digital age. I do not know of a pdf file that integrates the two into one.
    Also note that there are 3 volumes:
    "Aircraft Icing Handbook Volume 2", DOT/FAA/CT-88/8-2. apps.dtic.mil
    "Aircraft Icing Handbook Volume 3", DOT/FAA/C-88/8-3. apps.dtic.mil
    Some pages in Volume 3 are affected by the update noted above.
    Also see the "Electronic Aircraft Icing Handbook" below for format updates for parts of DOT/FAA/CT-88/8-2.

Design Guides

See the "Big Three" above.

Also see the post on Design Manuals, and the SAE AC-9C documents below.

SAE AC-9C

The Aircraft Icing Technology Technical Committee publishes Aerospace Information Reports, Aerospace Recommended Practices, and Aerospace Standards SAE AC-9C.
[Payment or institutional access required to access documents.]

See also some SAE documents listed below in icing wind tunnels

Thermodynamics of Freezing

Messinger, B. L.: Equilibrium Temperature of an Unheated Icing Surface as a Function of Airspeed. Preprint No. 342, Presented at I.A.S. Meeting, June 27-28, 1951. arc.aiaa.org [Payment or institutional access required]

Chapter V of "Modern Icing Technology" (1952) deepblue.lib.umich.edu has much of the same material, available at no cost.

Blog review of "Equilibrium Temperature ..."

Icing regulations

Appendix C ecfr.gov

Appendix O ecfr.gov

FAA

While you may not be involved in aircraft certification, these can be more general aircraft icing resources.

  • "Introduction to Icing Certification" faa.gov

    During icing certification potential icing threats are evaluated through analyses and tests to ensure the aircraft can operate safely in icing conditions.

  • "Aircraft Ice Protection" AC 20-73A faa.gov
    The "APPENDIX B. NOMENCLATURE" section is particularly useful.

  • "Pilot Guide: Flight in Icing Conditions", AC 91-74B faa.gov

  • Aviation Weather Handbook, FAA-H-8083-28 faa.gov
    Chapter 20 covers icing. This consolidates some prior publications:

    This handbook consolidates the weather information from the following advisory circulars (AC) into one source document. By doing this, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) intends to streamline access to the FAA’s weather documentation for users of the National Airspace System (NAS). The following ACs will remain in effect, but they will eventually be cancelled at a later date following the publication of this handbook:
    • AC 00-6, Aviation Weather.
    • AC 00-24, Thunderstorms.
    • AC 00-30, Clear Air Turbulence Avoidance.
    • AC 00-45, Aviation Weather Services.
    • AC 00-54, Pilot Windshear Guide.
    • AC 00-57, Hazardous Mountain Winds.

  • "Electronic Aircraft Icing Handbook"
    This includes format updates for DOT/FAA/CT-88/8-2 "Chapter III Ice Protection Methods", as well as files for analyzing water drop spectrum data, and a database of icing references circa 2007.
    This is mentioned in "Aircraft Ice Protection" AC 20-73A faa.gov, but I could not find it on a current FAA website. You can view the version from 2007 at web.archive.org

    This web page contains basic information on aircraft icing. Information placed on this page can be used to update or supplement information in the existing Aircraft Icing Handbook (AIHB). Update material can be printed out and inserted in the AIHB. The files on this page are referenced to those sections of the AIHB which they update or supplement, but are self-contained, not requiring consultation of the AIHB for their use. When appropriate the text information on this site is accompanied by spreadsheet or other files intended to enhance the value of the information to users.

Weather

aviationweather.gov
Live feed of weather information, see "AIRMETS" that can include icing conditions, as well as other current weather data.

"Icing" training page: weather.gov

Icing, in general, is any deposit or coating of ice on an object, caused by the impingement and freezing of liquid (usually supercooled) hydrometeors; to be distinguished from hoarfrost in that the latter results from the deposition of water vapor.

"Ice Crystal Icing Briefing" flightsafety.org

NASA

NASA Glenn Beginners Guide to Aeronautics: Guide to Aerodynamics www1.grc.nasa.gov
A rather good review for anyone, not just beginners.

The NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server ntrs.nasa.gov has nearly all NASA (and NACA!) publications available.

The NASA-provided Icing Research Software (LEWICE, LEWICE 3D) www1.grc.nasa.gov

The NASA Icing Research [wind] Tunnel (IRT) www1.grc.nasa.gov

"Airframe and Engine Icing" ntrs.nasa.gov

This is both a presented version of NASA's in-flight icing training aids, and a brief discussion of NASA Glenn's two icing-capable facilities that simulate the airframe and engine icing environments.

"Introduction to Aircraft Icing and NASA's Approach to Understanding It" ntrs.nasa.gov

This presentation provides an introduction to aircraft icing and describes NASA’s approach to understanding it. The presentation covers various topics on icing. A general overview of different types of icing is provided, which includes airframe icing, jet engine icing, and rotorcraft icing. The presentation discusses NASA’s approach to studying the various forms of aircraft icing, which includes conducting flight tests, performing ground-based icing wind tunnel tests, and developing computational tools that simulate the icing physics. An overview on the future of aviation and icing is provided. The presentation is largely high level, but also provides some technical icing physics discussion.

Icing Wind Tunnel Test

As noted in the post Icing Wind Tunnel Test Thread, for icing wind tunnels, unlike regular wind tunnels, there is no comprehensive source of information for their use.

NASA/CR-2004-212875 "Manual of Scaling Methods" ntrs.nasa.gov
has much information on scaling test conditions, and some more general information.

The NASA Icing Research [wind] Tunnel (IRT) www1.grc.nasa.gov

A test report that is relatively recent and detailed is NASA/TM-2016-219137 "Ice-Accretion Test Results for Three Large-Scale Swept-Wing Models in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel" ntrs.nasa.gov. While it is aimed more at research, and is not a step-by-step, "how to" document, it does illustrate several concepts, including test article design and test condition similarity to flight conditions.

Some SAE documents provide information on the calibration of icing wind tunnels.

  • Calibration and Acceptance of Icing Wind Tunnels ARP5905 www.sae.org [Payment or institutional access required]
  • Icing Wind Tunnel Interfacility Comparison Tests (STABILIZED Oct 2018) AIR5666A www.sae.org [Payment or institutional access required]

SKYbrary

skybrary.aero

SKYbrary is an electronic repository of safety knowledge related to flight operations, air traffic management (ATM) and aviation safety in general. It is also a portal, a common entry point, that enables users to access the safety data made available on the websites of various aviation organisations - regulators, service providers, industry.
SKYbrary content development priorities have been focused on:
Who: Flight Operations and Air Traffic Management
Where: Globally
What: Operational Risks
Aviation sector: Commercial Air Transport

skybrary.aero/operational-issues/weather
Has an "icing" subcategory.

Article: "Ice Formation on Aircraft"

Chapter 15 Ice and Rain Protection pdf Has many pictures of ice protection system components.

Courses

"ALC-33: Inflight Icing" faasafety.gov

Despite improvements in equipment and forecast technique, inflight icing is a contributing factor in accidents and incidents each year. What are the reasons for these encounters, and what can you as a pilot do to safely manage the risk associated with icing?
In this course you will learn that water does not always freeze at 32° F. or 0° C. You’ll discover which temperatures are most conducive to clear, rime, and mixed icing, and how water content and droplet size relates to icing severity. You may discover that the de-ice or anti-ice equipment on your aircraft cannot always provide adequate protection. You will find tools for evaluating icing conditions before flight, and you'll have the opportunity to understand and learn how to avoid or, if necessary, recover from roll upset and tail stalls caused by structural ice.

The NASA Aircraft Icing Training aircrafticing.grc.nasa.gov

A course primarily intended for pilots who fly aircraft certified for flight into icing. With an operational focus, this course provides tools pilots can use to deal with in-flight icing.

University of Kansas: Aircraft Icing: Meteorology, Protective Systems, Instrumentation and Certification enrole.com

This course covers the meteorology and physics of aircraft icing. Topics include forecasting, finding and avoiding icing conditions, designing and evaluating ice protection systems, and certification of aircraft for flight into known icing conditions.

Some commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) packages that include icing simulation capabilities offer training.

Terminology

See a selected list of terms at Terminology.

There are other lists of terminology available in addition to those in ADS-4 and DOT/FAA/CT-88/8 listed above.

NASA Aircraft Icing Training: Glossary aircrafticing.grc.nasa.gov

"Aircraft Ice Protection," AC 20-73A faa.gov
The "APPENDIX B. NOMENCLATURE" section is particularly useful.

SAE ARP5624, Aircraft Inflight Icing Terminology sae.org [Payment or institutional access required]
The "APPENDIX A - DISCUSSION OF ICING INTENSITY TERMS DEFINITIONS" is especially recommended.

History

"Lew Rodert, Epistemological Liaison, and Thermal De-Icing at Ames" history.nasa.gov

"We Freeze to Please": A History of NASA's Icing Research Tunnel and the Quest for Flight Safety ntrs.nasa.gov

"Bringing the Future Within Reach: the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center" history.nasa.gov

"The Wind and Beyond: Journey into the History of Aerodynamics in America, Volume 2, Reinventing the Airplane.", NASA-SP-4409, 2007. (Especially the "Heat Against Ice" excerpt, p. 506-518.)
history.nasa.gov

The Historical Selected Bibliography of NACA-NASA Icing Publications
132 NACA icing publications in 16 categories that are still relevant today.

And, of course, the "Blast from the Past: NACA Icing Publications" icinganalysis.com blog.

More Recent Publications

Much has been published since the DOT/FAA/CT-88/8 Aircraft Icing Handbook, of which Volume III includes an extensive bibliography. Publishing an extensive bibliography now would be impractical (on this or almost any topic), given the current pace of new information.

Online searches may be the best solution in these times. Once you are grounded in The Basics, you will know the terminology and be able to better shape you search inquiries.

Related

This is part of The Basics series.