Speaking of methods of removing ice from helicopters....
Operating off the coast of Greenland on the back end of an icebreaker we used covers over the canopies of our Sikorsky and our Bell. We also covered the main and tail rotors as well as the rotorheads. Normally the covers protected the helicopters from snow build up. On one occasion the sea was a bit rough and when the ship came about it raised a big wave and the wind blew the seawater up onto the flight deck and covered the left sides of the two helicopters as well as the blades with about an inch or more of ice.
We removed the ice buildup with a Herman Nelson gas heater, which normally was used for preheating the engines
