Flight Planning
 | Outlook weather briefing — Check the weather the night before your flight to see if snow, freezing rain, or frost is in the forecast. If so, put the airplane in the hangar for the night or arrive at the airport early, giving yourself time for deicing. |
| Standard weather briefing — Avoid in-flight icing by obtaining a thorough weather briefing during preflight. |
| Gloves, hat, and boots — Preflight will take longer. Be thorough — be comfortable. This gear also may ensure survival in the event of an off-airport landing. |
| Continuing education — Review the AOPA Air Safety Foundation publications Aircraft Icing Safety Advisor and the Cold Facts: Wing Contamination Safety Brief. |
Aircraft Preflight
| Walk around — Ensure all ports on the airplane are open (static, pitot, oil breather, stall warning horn, etc.). If the ice has started to melt, make sure water has not rolled into the control surface hinges where it may refreeze and cause a problem later. |
| Visual inspection — Visually inspect the top of each wing and tail to ensure no ice is present. |
| Physical inspection — Verify ice is absent from the wing and tail by touching the top of the surfaces. Even small amounts of clear ice, which can cause the flight controls to become unbalanced or disrupt airflow, are particularly hard to see and may be detected only by touch. |
| Ice removal — If ice is present on the aircraft, it must completely be emoved before flight. Use the procedures recommended in the Cold Facts: Wing Contamination Safety Brief to remove snow and ice. |
| Snow removal — It may look like loose snow, but don't count on it blowing off during your taxi or takeoff. Remove snow during preflight, and you'll be sure it's gone before you depart. |
| Flashlights — Use the flashlight to aid in ice detection. Bring two, just in case you need a backup. |
| Engine preheat — Be kind to your engine — have it preheated before starting. |
Airport Operations
| Airport diagrams — It's easy to get lost at snow-covered airports when runway and taxiway markings are hidden. Use taxi diagrams to help increase your situational awareness. |
| Taxiing — Taxi at a slower pace when surface areas are covered in snow and slush. Use the aircraft's brakes sparingly to avoid sliding across ice patches. Rely on the aircraft's throttle and rudder to control speed and direction. Do not program the GPS and other navigation equipment or run checklists while taxiing on ice or snow. |
| Braking action reports — At towered airports, heed these reports. If the braking action is reported as good or fair you're probably OK for taxi, takeoff, and landings, but allow extra distance for all operations. If the report is poor or nil, you may want to rethink your entire flight or, if airborne, divert to another airport. Even light crosswinds will complicate landings. |
| Runup — On a dry piece of pavement, position the airplane away from other people and aircraft. As you bring the throttle up to check the engine and instruments, look outside to ensure you're not sliding on ice. |
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Updated Friday, January 07, 2005 1:13:53 PM
