New Sensors Take the Chill Out of Flight

Icing is one of aviation’s deadliest hazards, but new sensor technology could change that. By using infrared lasers and microwave detectors, pilots can now spot dangerous supercooled droplets before ice forms, keeping planes safer in all-weather conditions. From flight decks to the roads, this innovation is redefining how we detect and respond to ice—protecting lives both in the sky and on the ground.

Transcript

00:00:05 When I start flying airplanes in the winter at night, we would come to the hunger to fly. There will be ice everywhere. And then reading that most of the small airplanes accidents are due to icing. I realized that that's something that I could probably do something about. Yeah, it's a problem in the air and on the ground. Icing is responsible for nearly 10% of

00:00:35 airplane crashes, and sensors in today's planes are unable to detect when ice impacts critical areas. Pilot and atmospheric scientist Nilton Renault and his team are hoping to change that
>> by designing a system of sensors that can not only better detect where ice builds up on a plane, but also detect

00:00:55 ice before it ever becomes a problem. Ice forms when liquid water droplets are below the freezing point. When they strike the airplane, they freeze, forming the ice. The larger the droplets are, the more hazard the icy. These super cooled liquid droplets are especially dangerous for small planes flying in low altitudes, but larger planes can also be at risk.

00:01:26
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>> An FAA decision in 2001 put into effect stricter standards for new planes and their ability to fly in icing conditions, pushing companies to design better systems for detecting ice. Renault's approach requires using an optical sensor that fires infrared lasers at incoming clouds. Within seconds, the lasers can inform the pilot

00:01:47 if a cloud contains liquid droplets, ice, or a mix. If droplets are present, one laser can determine the amount and size, which is critical for detecting super cooled liquid droplets.
>> And with this information, then you can estimate how hazard the icing is, if you should, turn around, climb, descend, or if the icing protection system is going to be good enough to keep ice from

00:02:12 forming the airplane.
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>> An additional microwave sensor was designed to be placed anywhere on the surface of the plane with the frequency signal changing when the sensor is covered with ice or liquid. Being able to detect that they fly in those extreme weather condition and get out, we're going to help new airplanes be

00:02:31 certified because in some condition might be nearly impossible to really protect the airplane. Renault is also adapting the optical sensor for cars to warn drivers of black ice and trigger safety systems. You can save lots of life by just decreasing the speed slightly when you detect a slippery road. Each year more and more people are

00:02:56 traveling by plane and they want to flying our weather conditions. Diamond 6 whiskey papa rowing 24 clear to land. So the system needs to be as efficient as possible and the technology like the one that we have been developing would help in that sense.