Originally Posted by
jugofpropwash
This is probably another dumb idea, and I'm sure you can all tell me why it wouldn't work - but what about keeping the skin of the aircraft warm enough that ice wouldn't form? Would the issue be excess weight/fuel consumption for a heating system, or are there other issues I'm not thinking of?
I don't think such a system is too difficult to design. Certifying and operating it would be a whole different story. Fuel consumption shouldn't be too different. They already have a heating system on leading edges, prop blades and other surfaces prone to icing. Heating the entire fuselage or even just the entire wing presents a "logistical" problem. How do you direct exhaust heat or electrical wires to do that. The entire wing would be a "no-step" area. And it adds huge complexity to an already complicated electrical systems of modern aircraft. Plus adds another hundred or thousand points of failure. And since the wings are full of fuel vapors it has to be absolutely protected against shorts and sparking.
Another problem I see is how much is "warm enough". Landing in Northern Siberia in December with 10% humidity at -65C is one thing, landing in Oslo in February with 100% humidity at -7C is another. Also, icing doesn't only occur in cold climates. Land at some tropical place, and your wings will frost up from cold fuel inside the wings. And the system would have to calculate all that and make sure it doesn't overheat the airplane while effectively de-icing it. And you shouldn't underestimate the consequences of overheating since most modern planes are made, at least to some extent, of composites held together with various "glues"... or sometimes with actual glue.