Requirements and Modeling of In-flight Icing Effects for Flight Training

Abstract

The adverse effects of in-flight icing, on aircraft aerodynamics, are a major cause of accidents in the commercial and general aviation world. To mitigate these incidents and accidents resulting from this problem, mandates are in place to improve pilot training in these dangerous flight conditions. Since flight simulators are extensively used for pilot training at all levels, recommendations have been made to improve flight simulator fidelity in adverse conditions like icing. To meet the requirements for improved fidelity, reliable proven data sources are needed. This paper presents potential data sources and methods for obtaining in-flight icing aerodynamics data, and provides details of a case study of the DH-6 Twin Otter, where data were collected from advanced wind-tunnel tests and implemented in a flight training device and validated with flight data. The validation results showed that the resulting flight model was suitable for the training tasks to be performed using the device.