Ice Protection for New Design Aircraft

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has changed its certification standards for transport category airplanes, requiring either the automatic activation of ice protection systems or a method to tell pilots when they should be activated. The new rule requires an effective way to ensure the ice protection system is activated at the proper time. The rule applies to new transport aircraft designs and significant changes to current designs that affect the safety of flight in icing conditions. There is no requirement to modify existing airplane designs, but the FAA is considering a similar rulemaking that would cover those designs. The FAA previously addressed activation of pneumatic deicing boots on many aircraft models by requiring activation of boots at the first sign of ice accumulation. This new certification standard further increases safety by not relying on the pilot alone to observe whether the airplane is accumulating ice.  Also this certification standard applies to all types of ice protection systems, not just pneumatic deicing boots.