Briefing: January 2010

Once upon a time it was considered just fine to polish frost smooth rather than scrape the junk off. Now the FAA has changed its mind. The rule is only binding on Parts 125, 135, or 91 subpart F (fractionals), but nine of the 12 frost-related accidents the FAA identified were with non-fractional Part 91 operations, so all of us might take note. Previous FAA guidance recommended removing all wing frost prior to takeoff, but allowed it to be polished smooth if the aircraft manufacturers recommended procedures were followed. But manufacturers never published standards for polished frost, and the FAA said it has no data to determine how to polish frost to satisfactory smoothness.

Editorial Staff

Monday, December 01, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has updated its guidance, now explicitly prohibiting the polishing of frost on aircraft surfaces, requiring complete removal instead.
A single malfunctioning router at Salt Lake City caused significant, hours-long air traffic control delays across the nation due to miscommunicated flight data.
The TSA is proposing new rules that would mandate security protocols, access controls, and training for all FAA-certified aircraft repair stations globally.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are finding new applications beyond military use, with farmers adopting them for cost-effective agricultural imaging and data collection.

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The FAA Now Says, “Stop Polishing Your Frost.”

Once upon a time it was considered just fine to polish frost smooth rather than scrape the junk off. Now the FAA has changed its mind. The rule is only binding on Parts 125, 135, or 91 subpart F (fractionals), but nine of the 12 frost-related accidents the FAA identified were with non-fractional Part 91 operations, so all of us might take note. Previous FAA guidance recommended removing all wing frost prior to takeoff, but allowed it to be polished smooth if the aircraft manufacturer’s recommended procedures were followed. But manufacturers never published standards for polished frost, and the FAA said it has no data to determine how to polish frost to satisfactory smoothness.