Team's seasonal icing test for aircraft thaws

By Katie StarckJune 1, 2015

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(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (June 1, 2015) --- After a year's effort, the Redstone Test Center's Icing Team has completed its icing test on Italian helicopter, Agusta-Westland 189, in Marquette, Michigan.

Since 1973, RTC has been conducting icing testing on both military and civil aircraft for the national and international aircraft communities.

To receive certification to fly in icing conditions, all aircraft must undergo ice testing, which requires test flights in various cold weather conditions and temperatures ranging from zero to minus-25 degrees Celsius.

One weather condition routinely tested is an aircraft's ability to fly through clouds with varying liquid water content, explained James Correia, RTC experimental test pilot.

"To test the aircraft, our team not only uses natural icing conditions to meet those requirements, but it also employs the Helicopter Icing Spray System to generate an ice cloud artificially," Correia said. To do this, an Army CH-47D is configured with a 1,800 gallon water tank and a spray boom that is capable of making a cloud 36 feet wide and 12 feet high.

"The boom enables us to regulate the amount of water the cloud contains. The water content of the cloud is configurable using onboard equipment that enables our customers to test against and accomplish all required data points for icing certification," Correia said. "The team must then rely on Mother Nature to provide the temperatures, relative humidity and smooth air to conduct the testing."

To ensure the cloud characterization and water content are correct for each test point, the team uses probes placed on the wingtip of an aircraft to sample the elements of the cloud.

A RTC team, of aircraft mechanics, test support personnel and flight test engineers, deploys with the test team to ensure customers receive all of the required data.

Always thinking of safety first, working in these frigid temperatures requires extra training in order to mitigate additional risks associated with cold environment testing.

"Conducting operations in cold weather is nothing new to anyone who has served in places like Alaska, Korea or Germany," Correia said. "The challenge is that not all the team members have experience working in cold weather environments. Therefore, RTC conducts training for all personnel assigned to the icing team so they understand the nature, cause, identification and preventive measures pertaining to cold injuries."

After months in the frigid temperatures of Marquette, Correia and the rest of the test team are happy to enjoy the spring weather of Alabama.

RTC, a subordinate command of the Army Test and Evaluation Command, provides technical expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, and capabilities to plan, conduct, analyze, and report the results of test on missile and aviation systems, sensors, subsystems and components.