MD80 Wing Ice

[avioniker]

I know it's only August but I'm trying to get the De-ice procedures for my company updated and with the final implementation of the MD80 AD I need to make some changes.

Any anecdotes or new company procedures are what I'm looking for. Particularly with reference to newly installed heater blankets.

Keep in mind that I have to write this for Pilots as well as Bag Smashers so it will have to be kept to very simple vocabluary for the former and we'll define the latter at a later date.
(I'M JOKING FOR CRYING OUT LOUD)

Thanks in advance (I hope):}

[Capt. Inop]

Just search http://www.google.com for
MD 80 Clear ice.

[avioniker]

Now honestly, if there were any usable findings on google, yahoo, dogpile, etc. do you think I'd be begging here?:{

[Spitoon]

I'm only a simple controller - so I can't really help with your problem - but don't Boeing support the aircraft???

[avioniker]

Let's keep in mind that Boeing is required to maintain the company line and thus protect the product.

One shouldn't expect the parent company to willingly relate what might be construed as negative information by the general public.

I have what they have but I know of other things which might be better put to use to get the students' attention when teaching the proper methods and reasons behind them.;)

Since I'm developing a new course for people who may not have done this before I have the opportunity to get them off on the right foot and I'd like to use relavant anecdotes and photos from other operators beyond my personal experience.
:}

And what's simple about being a controller???
(ah you're jesting...)

[Hahn]

Ok, let´s try:

Good old MD 80 had the nasty habbit, that cold fuel (which cooled down during the flight) found it´s resting place at the lowest point of the wing tank, being the big alloy rib between the wing- and the center tank. There you found about one ton of "supercooled fuel" sitting close to a massive pice of alloy which extended to the upper and lower wing surface. As a consequence this surfaces became quite cold as well. Any humidity in the ambient air formed frost on the upper and lower skin of the wing, and, if there was any rain, a layer of clear ice on top of the wing, ca. 1 meter outward of the fuselage. Since this ice is clear, it is extremly hard to detect, so Mc. Douglas invented an electric heating mat for the upper wing. If it works well, I have no clue, but I know for shure (10 years operational experience) that you better look twice for the ice! A good advice is to keep the main tank pumps running during refueling to keep the fuel circulating, or, transfer the cold wing fuel into the center tank an fill up the wing with warmer fuel from the truck. Always remember: ice breaking off from the wing can easily find its way into the engine, and this is no fun at all!!

Hope it helped, cheers!

[lomapaseo]

Avioniker

I applaud your initative and objective.

A previous poster has given a good discription of fuel cooled wing ice However the data has showwed that the most common source of ice getting into these engines was not associated with fuel cooling (tankering etc.) but plain old overnight accumulation that either was hidden under a thin dusting of snow or acted like black or clear ice that was hard to detect unless by feel.

The many fixes addressed by the manufacture attempted to address all causes of the problem including tufts and heater blankets. The manufacturer then held yearly meetings during the initial phase-in, with the operators to update them on the problem and its fixes with many operator ancedotes available in the discussion.

I would suggest that you contact the operations dept of some of the major operators of this equipment and elicit their comments on your behalf

good luck

the iceman commeth

[avioniker]

Here's the kind of thing I'm looking for.
And for you MD80 drivers out there here's one more thing to keep you awake at night...

http://www.espania.com/aspa/bibliot/md-18.htm

:(