AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2022 - 87

probabilities in its current and forecast
icing potential (CIP and FIP) charts, giving
chances of any icing beyond the 25 and
50 percent rates. The CIP and FIP make a
point of identifying the likelihood of one
of the worst icing conditions, which we'll
touch on shortly.
Trace icing, as the name implies, is the
classifier that signals the very first signs of
ice. It's a warning that conditions could be
right for heavier accumulations to come.
It's time to assess your situation and play
it conservative as you mull over your next
moves. There won't be any effect on performance,
and the accumulations may be
barely perceptible. Still, a 1964 report from
the National Coordinating Committee for
Aviation Meteorology (NCCAM) provides
food for thought. It said that trace ice can
accumulate one-half inch of ice on a small
probe in an 80-statute-mile distance. And
yet, the report says the use of any deicing
equipment, such as inflatable-rubber leading
edge boots, is unnecessary.
Rime icing, which consist of small
droplets and has low liquid water contents,
typically accumulates when flying in
stratus clouds. Air temperatures typically
range from minus 20 to minus 10 degrees
Celsius (minus 4 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit).
At first, it can leave a pencil-thin line of
rough-textured ice on an airplane's leading
edges, then expand with time to cover
more of the leading edges. Keep flying in
rime ice and performance deteriorates
after one hour.
Clear icing is definitely bad news. It's
associated with large supercooled droplets
and air masses with high concentrations
of liquid water, such as those found in
cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds. It typically
occurs in temperatures right around
the freezing point-between minus 10
and 0 degrees Celsius (14 to 32 degrees
Fahrenheit). Any length of time or distance
flown in clear ice can be very hazardous.
That's because those large droplets remain
liquid after initially striking the airplane,
then flow back along the wings and other
surfaces before ultimately freezing solid.
The resultant ice buildups distort the
shape of the airfoils and can ruin lift and
render control inputs ineffective.
Mixed icing is a combination of rime
and clear ice, and has a rough surface that
can build quickly and project forward from
AOPA PILOT / December 2022
87
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2022
