A few points for my benefit more than anyone else. Please disagree as required
"U.S. Army aviation sources say service helicopters are equipped to operate safely under icy conditions, though the degree of protection varies and can be increased where necessary"
Rigid
o they mean engine icing or airframe icing conditions? For the latter, a general rule is a temp of <= 0degC with a visibilty of less than 1000 m due to the presence of water.
"The mainstay aircraft of the fleet - Black Hawks, Chinooks and Apaches have ant-icing systems - systems that prevent the formation of ice - from covering key aerodynamic parts of the structure. “These include main rotor blades and tail rotors, but more significantly the engine intakes - which have heated inlet ramps,’ said an official with AMCOM, the Army’s aviation and missile command in Huntsville, Ala."
Rigid:So do the USA operate AH or Chinook with heated blades? I dont think so, but would love to hear otherwise. And I dont mean"did they do a trial" but do they rountinely fly in icing conditions.
‘However. all out aircraft - all of them, including the special ops ones - have to meet an icing operational standard down to minus 25 degrees F. Whether they have additional protection or not, that’s just a given.’
rigid: What is not clear from this statement is whether we are talking about ops at temps of -25degF in visibility of less than 1000m or not, ie in cloud or VFR.
"The Army works off an icing standard provided in 1980 when the entire range of aircraft went through airborne icing tests in the Duluth, Minn area. ‘As you know we haven’t changed the fleet since then, so the data we collected is still valid,’ an official commented. "
Rigid: So sure, the data they gathered is still valid, but what does it show!! Very clever use of words.
Rigid: Icing severity is a function of temperature and liquid water content in the atmosphere and you can only seriously consider qualifying an ac against both simultaneous criteria. You may also wish to consider water droplet size but this would be difficult to measure and quantify to an aviator in-flt. Unles you are happy with the accrue/shed cycle and Tq rise during accrue, you are unlikely to be able to operate a cold bladed ac for sustained periods in icing conditions below a particular temp until you get very cold where ice will not accrue. You want to fly in icing conditions, get engine and blade de/anti-ice.
Ok, thats off my chest. Have a good weekend