RAMP SERVICES – DEICING AND ANTI-ICING

Done by:
Korynevska Tetiana, FTML 502a

Ramp handling services ensure the efficient turnaround of aircraft so that flights
stay on schedule. Airline ramp panel primarily are involved in the moving of luggage to
and from the aircraft to the baggage area in the airport. Ramp services include:
operating motorized equipment such as belt loaders, lift trucks, tugs, and bag carts.
Other tasks that ramp staff handles is operating air start units, cleaning the aircraft and
laboratories, and using de-icing equipment. Workers will also need to use a computer to
fill out reports and possibly help passengers file claims on damaged or missing luggage.
At smaller airports staff may be required to help move aircraft into a parking
position, as well as direct the pilot where to move it. Panel may also provide other
services to the pilot and crew, such as driving them to the terminal, restaurants, car
rentals, and meeting other needs that they may have.
De-icing is defined as the removal of snow, ice or frost from a surface. Anti-icing
is understood to be the application of chemicals that not only de-ice, but also remain on
a surface and continue to delay the reformation of ice for a certain period of time, or
prevent adhesion of ice to make mechanical removal easier. Not just removing, but also
preventing a build-up of snow and ice on the wings and tail of an airplane is crucial for
a safe take-off. A plane's wings and rear tail component are engineered with a very
specific shape in order to provide proper lift for flight. Snow and ice on these areas in
essence changes their shape and disrupts the airflow across the surface, hindering the
ability to create lift.
Whenever snow, ice, or even frost has accumulated on the aircraft, the pilots call
on the airport deicing facility to have it removed. Deicing fluid, a mixture of a chemical
called glycol and water, is generally heated and sprayed under pressure to remove ice
and snow on the aircraft. While it removes ice and snow, deicing fluid has a limited
ability to prevent further ice from forming. If winter precipitation is falling, such as
snow, freezing rain or sleet, further action needs to be taken to prevent ice from forming
again on the aircraft before takeoff.
Deicing agents are compounds made up of the chemical glycol and water. Glycol
lowers the freezing point of the solvent, water. The agents are used in different
formulations for different weather conditions, but whatever the formulation, the
compound is applied in the same way. It is heated and sprayed through a hose over an
airplane to remove snow, ice or frost. Pilots make the call for deicing when necessary
and oversee the process, which must be done in accordance with detailed Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) rules.
The airplanes, which stand on the air field during certain period of time, can
accumulate snow, ice, freezing rain or hoarfrost, on their surface under cold winter
weather. The presence of such deposits, especially on aerodynamic surfaces, is
dangerous, as it can hinder the start and it is extraordinarily undesirable in the taking off
process and initial periods of flight, as even the insignificant accumulations can result in
worsening aircraft aerodynamic parameters, and eventually lead to accidents. Anti-icing
liquids (Killfrost, Safewing, Арктика ДГ, Octaflo) for surface treatment of airplanes
contain the mixture of glycol, water, and stiffener. Glycols are used in water solutions
of different concentrations and spread over the airplane surface for the removal of snow,
ice, freezing rain and hoarfrost deposits from its surface.
The substances of this group easily penetrate through the skin, which results in
considerable absorption and somatic toxicity. The main consequences of these
substances influence are the damage of red blood cells, the damage of kidneys, the
change of liver parameters under high level of exposure. Due to high solubility glycols
are able to spread in surface and ground waters. This explains the attention of
environmental engineers to anti-icing and de-icing treatment of aircrafts. As soon as
these substances contain other reagents, including alkalis, the potential consequences of
these liquids distribution outside the treatment areas can be very serious.
Deicing agents are generally not designed to keep ice or frost from re-forming on
the plane. So, if snow, sleet or freezing rain is actively falling as an airplane is being
deiced, the plane may also need an anti-icing application to keep ice from re-forming
before the plane takes off. Anti-icing fluids are also made up of glycol and water, but
with a higher concentration of glycol than deicing fluids. A thickening agent is added to
help the compound adhere to the plane as it takes off.
A thin layer of anti-icing agent is sprayed uniformly over the plane when required.
The FAA recommends that anti-icing agents be applied within three minutes of deicing
and not at all if the deicing fluid has frozen or if frost has reformed on the plane. If
either of those situations occur, deicing must be performed again before the anti-icing
fluid is applied. If the plane is coated with just a dusting of frost, rather than ice, it may
be possible to deice and anti-ice at the same time. In this instance, the anti-icing fluid is
used and acts as both a deicer, to melt the frost, and an anti-icer, which protects the
airplane from further icing.
According to the FAA, the parts of the plane that may require deicing and anti-
icing are:
 Wings
 Vertical and horizontal tail surfaces
 Fuselage
 Engine inlets and fan blades
 Control surfaces and gaps
 Landing gear and landing gear door
 Antennas and sensors
 Propellers
The ground crew and flight crew must work together to make decisions about
which surfaces need deicing and the best procedure to use based on temperature and
weather conditions. Most often, deicing and anti-icing procedures are performed at the
gate, though they can be done at remote locations — again, the concern is getting the
plane in the air in a timely manner once the fluids are applied.
The FAA recommends that two to four deicing vehicles be used for commercial
jets. The procedure begins at the front of the fuselage, working back to the wings, then
the aft-fuselage, vertical stabilizer and finally the horizontal stabilizer (the latter two are
parts of the plane's tail).