PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Take off with snow on wing
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Old 22nd May 2012, 04:38
  #440 (permalink)  
RatherBeFlying
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Toronto
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Some years ago, I got SLFed through ORD while a low was dumping considerable quantities of lake effect wet snow over everything. We got deiced with what must have been type IV at the gate and then joined the conga line to departure. It took more than 5 minutes while considerable snow accumulated on the wing which I could see quite well. The several a/c ahead of us were not turning into fireballs on takeoff; so, I decided that the deicers knew their job and did not put up a fuss.

At about 50 kt, the blanket of snow sheared off in what looked like a single piece and the takeoff proceeded normally. I don't think ORD was removing the dumped snow after each takeoff, but I would not be surprised that clearing operations were in progress on the next runway to come in use.

UUUWZDZX has posted a video showing how easily dry snow comes off -- quite a bit quicker and more cleanly than the wetter stuff at M01 in the first video. Snow close to 0C worries me more than snow at -10C on both a/c and roads, but we also have to take account of surface temperature.

The videos show that there's different degrees of adhesion. If the adhesion is good past Vr, it's definitely too much. In the first video, the adhesion got pretty close to Vr and in some locations exceeded Vr. Not much margin there.
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