Today I found out what it's all about!
I had an Cessna 152 booked for 10:30. The aircraft started with no problems at all. I used car de-icer to clear the windscreen and was happily filling up with fuel (one has to do this a Stapleford as there are no fuel dipsticks in the aircraft) when I asked an instructor if it was ok to fly. The reply was negative as there was frost on the wings and he suggested I speak to the "hanger guys".
What happens is that the planes are de-iced by rolling them into a hangar for 10 minutes thus saving the "great expense" of spraying. It works quite well except that it was poorly organised and everyone was looking out for themselves and no one else.
Although the "hanger guys" knew that another plane as well as my own was waiting for the "service" they all suddenly disappeared around lunch time. A PA-28 crew decided to do an "A" check in front of the hangar - blocking access. When I pointed out that there were planes waiting to be de-iced I was ignored.
Scouting around I found a young man washing a car and asked for help. He and I opened the hangar doors and pushed both aircraft inside.
After about 5 minutes both planes were free of ice but the crew of the other larger aircraft had gone off to the cafe for lunch. I offered an incensed examiner (who was waiting for an aircraft trapped at the back of the hangar so that a student could do her skills test) to search them out and we managed to persuade the pilot to come and move the aircraft.
I finally got to taxi out more than three hours after arriving at Stapleford. Just enough time for a two hour cross-country before sunset.
Does anyone know of a do-it-yourself de-icing kit?