Air travel has long been considered the safest form of transportation. Statistically speaking, the average American is safer in an airplane than an automobile. Though this is reassuring, the industry is relentlessly pursuing ways to improve air travel safety. One such improvement is the continued research to further understand ice buildup and how it affects aerodynamics.

The aerospace industry has focused on understanding ice accretion because it causes a reshaping of an aircraft’s wings or tail. When this occurs, there is the danger of aerodynamic stall. The point at which a stall takes place has to do with the contour of the airfoil, which may change with surface contamination. A small amount of ice buildup, as slight as the roughness of sandpaper, will affect the way air flows over the upper surface. This reduces lift and increases drag to the point at which a stall becomes imminent.

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