De-Icing Question

Malko

Malko

Why…..? It’s so tiring. 🤙
Staff member
I am sitting here at work listening to JFK/Ground Tower and was curious about something. Is there any reason that the deicing is not done closer to the departure runways? I ask because I have heard a couple of planes that have needed to go back for more. They have also been holding plows/aircraft waiting for each other to clear out. On the face it would seem easier if the planes were de-iced just before taking the RW, but I am sure there is a reason. Is it logistics at a given field or is there some other reason.

It is a very unpleasant evening at JFK Ground/Tower! Hat's Off to those guys tonight.
 
No expert on the topic but have been told that airports such as denver have a large grate-covered pit that they de-ice over. This way they can recycle the fluid. Therefore, it would not be economical to put one at each end of every runway.

Lets wait to hear what some "professional pilots" have to say.....
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Some airports do, some dont, some airlines do some dont. Just depends...PIT comes to mind for USAir that has a nice "bay" style de-ice facility that is close to the departure end of one of the runway. I think YYZ also.
 
I'm sure they put de-icing pads as close as feasible to the runway, and at most airports built in the past 30-40 years where winter wx is a consistent problem, they probably are. At DFW, for instance, the de-ice pads are pretty close to the ends of the runway.
 
Some places dont even have de-ice pads...Some its push back from gate and spray off! Some places need to get with the times
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Some places dont even have de-ice pads...Some its push back from gate and spray off! Some places need to get with the times
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Tulsa int'l for example
 
Well, I am a de-icer for UPS. Here in Rockford, we pre-treat in the blocks or spray in the throat. De-icing can take up to 20 min depending how bad the snow/ice is, how large the plane is, and how good the crew spraying is(The longest Ive seen so far is 25 min with a DC-8, 4 trucks[which is the max you can have on the plane], and a snow/ice mixture that was 2 in thick solid on the ENTIRE aircraft [not a fun day]). Because of this, you dont want to block the taxiing aircraft that are already ready to go(i.e. pretreated, sat in a hangar, etc). Also durring deicing you need to be able to get around the whole plane with a pretty good size truck. Airliner wings ussually hang over the taxiways edges making it difficult to get that truck around them:). Last but not least a guy is in the air up to 60 ft, its not really smart to have a person(let alone any object) that high near landing and departing aircraft in my opinion.:) Well hope that answers your question.
 
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Last but not least a guy is in the air up to 60 ft, its not really smart to have a person(let alone any object) that high near landing and departing aircraft in my opinion.:)

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caution, traffic one o clock, 100 feet, de-ice guy..report him in sight
 
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Well hope that answers your question.

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Well, maybe.
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When I said "closer to the RW's", I didn't mean literally de-icing at the hold short line. I asked the question because at JFK last night it seemed to be a long time between de-icing and getting to the RW for take-off. A few times they were worried about having to re-de-ice (is that a word?)some planes because they were plowing, etc...

Anyhow, I did laugh at the traffic advisory.
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Well hope that answers your question.

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Well, maybe.
tongue.gif
When I said "closer to the RW's", I didn't mean literally de-icing at the hold short line. I asked the question because at JFK last night it seemed to be a long time between de-icing and getting to the RW for take-off. A few times they were worried about having to re-de-ice (is that a word?)some planes because they were plowing, etc...

Anyhow, I did laugh at the traffic advisory.
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The biggest single factor in deicing?

The EPA.
The EPA has certain qualifications for drainage etc, and at most airports, they regulate where you can and cannot deice. Unfortunately, it is rarely where we need to be deiced, CLOSE to the runway.

Sounds like government logic. We must risk a few pax in order to save a few ducks.
 
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The biggest single factor in deicing?

The EPA.
The EPA has certain qualifications for drainage etc, and at most airports, they regulate where you can and cannot deice. Unfortunately, it is rarely where we need to be deiced, CLOSE to the runway.

Sounds like government logic. We must risk a few pax in order to save a few ducks.


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not anymore, there is a new type of fluid being used that can go in regular sewage tanks and is not harmful to the environment. Can't remember the exact type,but Ill get it off the refractor tomorrow night and post what it is. Im bad with remembering names of stuff, lol.
 
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