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200 Million in Arctic Deep Freeze - Winter Flying Precautions

Trox

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In a recent discussion with @Alaska in the Meet Ups Forum the topic turned to his recent "close call" where his aircraft lost its ability to stay in the air but fortunately was just a few feet above ground level. The conditions were ambient air temperatures at 28°F with fog present down to ground level. Snow on the ground and hoar frost on the vegetation. It was the perfect conditions for his props to begin icing up and causing erratic instability which resulted in the drone doing a flip in the snow. If it had been at flying altitude the results would probably have been costly.

At least half or more of the United States and nearly all of Canada too will encounter below freezing conditions during winter. And if you have a desire to fly there are only two options: Take your vacation to a tropical climate and bring along your drone or tough it out back home and prepare to fly under potentially risky weather conditions. I am in that second "camp" here in Alaska and since my EVO is only a few months old it has not provided me the opportunity to fly it during cold temps. So I did some research on anti-icing treatments for aircraft, both manned and unmanned.

A number of years ago NASA discovered a mix of propylene glycol and a plastic polymer which created a gel to be applied to surfaces that are subjected to ice formation. It didn't really prevent the ice from forming but instead created a barrier to prevent the ice from adhering directly to the hard surface. And it allowed the ice to be easily 'wiped' off. I tracked down the company NASA gave the patent to in Palm Desert, CAL but I can't find a source of their Ice Free product.

PRESTONE, the anti-freeze maker, has concocted a product that sounds like it will be more suitable for drone prop treatment to prevent icing or at least reduce it. Its called ICE & FROST SHIELD and comes in a spray bottle or can of liquid. Its designed to be sprayed onto a vehicle's windows and mirrors before the frost or icing occurs. Its polymer base and secret sauce create a condition where the ice crystals cannot adhere to the glass and will allow the vehicle owner to easily brush or scrape off the accumulation.

I think this might be a suitable product to treat our drone props as an ice prevention tool. It is carried in every car parts store, like Napa, O'Reilly, and even in some Walmarts. The price, $6.99 USD for a whopping 32 fluid ounces. It if don't work on my props I will use it up on my truck this winter. But I believe it has promise, especially if you treat the props just before take off. I will be taking the treatment a bit further by putting multiple applications on the props and allowing each treatment to dry. Hopefully it may create a shield barrier down at the microscopic level where tiny pits and irregular surfaces exist on the props that would be points where the frost may begin. I'll be buying some today. Our first winter weather is arriving with potentially 1/4" of freezing rain today. Of course I'd never fly in rain, mist, or even fog as the risk is too great. And its not good filming conditions either. But icing on aircraft can occur under other atmospheric conditions too so an ounce of prevention may be worth a pound of cure.
Prestone-Ice&Frost-Shield.png

I do want to add that pilots should realize when air temperatures are border line just above freezing that once you go to altitude the air temperature could be several degrees cooler and icing conditions might be present. Most cold weather residents know that even at 20° below zero frost can and does frequently form on our trees and vegetation from suspended water vapor and humidity. There is a lot happening at the molecular level when it comes to humidity in frozen air and even with ice fog. So I think a prop treatment plan is probably good preventative medicine. It sure can't hurt.
 
Anything you add to your props make sure it does not cause your plastic props to become brittle. Plastic does not play well with most chemicals. Check to label before using.
 
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Propeller Icing,

Changes the shape of the blades. Harms lift/thrust
Adds parasitic drag. Requires additional power, decreases range, decreases endurance.
Ice can knock a drone out of the sky.

Two basic types of icing,
Clear ice - strataform clouds - flat stable clouds. Clear 'ice cube' appearance.
Rime - cumulonimbus - round puffy clouds. White raggedy ice.

Ice can look harmless, but can be deadly at the same time.
Ice can sling off one blade and not the other resulting in unbalance, vibration.
Ice can form in temperatures above freezing because prop lift results in lower pressure and therefore lower temperature.
Ice can form from moisture invisible to the eye. Check humidity.
Ice is a serious condition.
If you see the speed dropping on your drone in potential icing conditions, and it's not a wind change, or if it seems to have less power, get it on the ground now. Consider an alternate landing site rather than home.
Props ice up before any other surface due to lower pressure/ temperature from the generation of lift.

 
Dew point is the key to icing conditions. Bigger the difference between ambient temp and a lower dew point - less chance of icing.
I've had an old air-cooled VW engine frost over the intake on a hot, very humid day.

I would like to see some tests on the Prestone spray on how it reacts to the plastic of various props. Then some ground testing of treated props - at speed - in different weather conditions. Until then, I'm gonna stay warm inside. :)
 
Dew point is the key to icing conditions. Bigger the difference between ambient temp and a lower dew point - less chance of icing.
I've had an old air-cooled VW engine frost over the intake on a hot, very humid day.

I would like to see some tests on the Prestone spray on how it reacts to the plastic of various props. Then some ground testing of treated props - at speed - in different weather conditions. Until then, I'm gonna stay warm inside. :)
Or you could come to AZ, it’ll be 78F today!! ;)
 
Propeller Icing,

Changes the shape of the blades. Harms lift/thrust
Adds parasitic drag. Requires additional power, decreases range, decreases endurance.
Ice can knock a drone out of the sky.



Yup, that’s exactly why planes de-ice the wings in certain conditions. It almost got Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic, he iced-up, lost lift, had increased drag, lost altitude, only lower, warmer air saved him....
 
GREAT Stuff to present for illustrating the many variables at play with respect to icing and ice formation. Thanks all for chiming in. A knowledgeable pilot is a safer pilot.

I liked the points brought up about the differential in air pressure across the props as the propellers are actually just small airplane wings in cross-section with a twist. And the air intake icing on the VW engine. Along that same line, carburetor icing can occur in aircraft or vehicles because of the super cooling effect of the venturi nozzles in the carburetors. Or ice forming at the nozzle of a high pressure air hose on a warm day. The cooling effect is easily represented by thinking about the Swamp Coolers that use evaporative air flow to cool the air going into the house. But speed up that air flow to extreme velocity through the wet filter and it can freeze the water. When you have props spinning at extreme speeds you are moving air and moisture at the macro & micro level at those speeds too.

Here is some additional Factory Information on this product I found yesterday.
But first I'd like to point out the following regarding its use:
• It is effectively sprayed onto the glass surface which is not a very accurate method to deliver and contain the material in exact areas by the consumer.
• There are all kinds of plastic and rubber and synthetic materials associated with your windshield and mirror areas. Plastic covers protecting the pivot arm shaft, natural and synthetic rubber in the wiper blades, rubber seals around the window mounts, air vent screens of plastic, etc.
So it would seem there has been some extensive testing by the maker or there would be a lot of lawsuits if your wiper blades disintegrated.

Detailed Description
Ice And Frost Shield; 32 Ounce; Ice and Frost Shield Vehicle Glass Treatment is a robust formula that provides a resilient barrier between the environment and automotive glass, thus reducing the accumulation and adhesion of frost and light ice. The copolymer active ingredient imparts a balance of hydrophobic and hydrophilic characteristics, which provides durable protection without compromising visibility. The formula was developed and rigorously tested in the Prestone Research and Development laboratory in an environmental test chamber. Its performance has been confirmed in a comprehensive vehicle fleet test enduring a New England winter. Prestone Ice and Frost Shield Vehicle Glass Treatment can be used on a daily basis without altering your vehicles windshield.

The weatherman almost got it right today. Yesterday it was summer and bare ground, this morning I have an inch and a half of 33°F slush on my 2nd story back deck launch pad. Time to roll up the garden hoses. Hmm, now where were they?
20191114.jpg
 
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I did fly the Evo one entire winter with zero issues. This one day of icing was the first for me. I wouldn't have bothered flying, but we drove almost a hundred miles to see if we could get out of the wind and this was it. Luckily I only wanted a low level shot of the hoarfrost on the trees and bushes, it was a very cheap lesson to be sure.
Oh, and that's HER not him. I know I am in a serious minority. No offense :).
 
I picked up my bottle of Ice & Frost Shield at Napa Auto on Saturday. Unfortunately Alaska is experiencing an Indian Summer here in the southcentral region and 30°F was as cold as it got last night. But eventually we will get some cold dry air that creates the frost on our vehicles' windshields. The spray material is very fluid but you can tell it has some viscosity as it doesn't move like plain water in the bottle.

I've got several sets of EVO spare props so I'll be doing some experiments in the future, treating one blade of the prop with the polymer and leave the other one untreated and hang them outside overnight to see what happens. In the meantime I'm going to wipe some on the props on the aircraft for now as it can't hurt. I'm grounded today....32°F and freezing rain starting to fall.
 
I picked up my bottle of Ice & Frost Shield at Napa Auto on Saturday. Unfortunately Alaska is experiencing an Indian Summer here in the southcentral region and 30°F was as cold as it got last night. But eventually we will get some cold dry air that creates the frost on our vehicles' windshields. The spray material is very fluid but you can tell it has some viscosity as it doesn't move like plain water in the bottle.

I've got several sets of EVO spare props so I'll be doing some experiments in the future, treating one blade of the prop with the polymer and leave the other one untreated and hang them outside overnight to see what happens. In the meantime I'm going to wipe some on the props on the aircraft for now as it can't hurt. I'm grounded today....32°F and freezing rain starting to fall.
So, what did you do to get grounded? I sometimes forget to do my shores.
 
I made it out yesterday after the snow. About 29 degrees, 85-90% humidity. No issues, went through 3 batteries. Flew today, too, about the same. Here's a little snippet from yesterday. I also upgraded my video editor so I can finally do 4k editing. Much better.

First Snow
 
So, what did you do to get grounded? I sometimes forget to do my chores.
? I'm afraid it's Self Imposed~! My "baby" is a newborn and only a few months old without a scratch on it. So I'm not in the camp (yet) of flying when I can suck in snow flakes, slush, ice fog, or rain into the 'boiler room' of my little bird or its engine compartments. At least not until I have a standby 2nd string QB on the bench to take it's place in the event EVO1 gets sidelined and ends up on the Injured Reserve list for a while. And who loves water droplets on the lens? Ha

Our Summer to Winter transition periods have grown longer and longer as the decades have passed by. It's now a relatively common event in this part of Alaska to have Pineapple Expresses blow up from Hawaii and bring above freezing temps and even rain on any given month from Fall to Spring. So even with the 32°F outside at 11pm tonight there is freezing rain and sleet forecast over the next several days. Even in "warm" weather we can't catch a break some days. That's when we all start daydreaming of tropical palm trees. :)
 
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I made it out yesterday after the snow. About 29 degrees, 85-90% humidity. No issues, went through 3 batteries. Flew today, too, about the same. Here's a little snippet from yesterday. I also upgraded my video editor so I can finally do 4k editing. Much better.
First Snow
Hmm, is that a Sleeping Lady I spy? ;) There sure is a difference between your area and mine!

I've got an iMac with a 27 inch 5K Retina display and 4K from the drone cam is just incredible for detail. My holiday shopping list has a 4K UHD television in the #1 position. :D But I really fell in love with the Samsung QLED a few weeks ago. The pinpoint size of the pixel is so fine you can't see them at 2 feet from the screen. Pricey yeah, but I can't take it with me so it really has got my wallet's attention and I will probably go with the Q!! But did you know Samsung is making 8K QLED televisions now? Seriously. Search Amazon. You'll need to take out a second mortgage on your house.

Our trees on the KP, at least Kenai/Soldotna are snowless. We are in a snow shadow where a foot of snow by the end of winter was at least "ground cover." Everything is dull and drab at the moment. And even the lawn is starting to show through in spots from the 1 inch of snow we have so far. Might be one of those years when the Kenai River doesn't freeze over this winter. But then again it only takes a couple weeks of 20 below zero to jam the river. Arc Lake today next to the landfill was still just slushy loose cover on my way back from the dump. Not even strong enough for the Bald eagles to land on after gorging on the garbage.
 
That tropical vacation reference was directed at you. :) But heck with the beach, its what is ON the beach that is more photographic! ? I may be old but I'm not blind. LOL

Did someone say tropical vacation? I'll be doing that in a couple weeks. I fly to Orlando on the 3rd for 5 days... then board Harmony of the Seas for a week in the Caribbean.

Yes I'm bringing the Evo. Can't use on the ship or on their island in the Bahamas... but the stops in Mexico and Honduras are OK it seems.

I've got an iMac with a 27 inch 5K Retina display and 4K from the drone cam is just incredible for detail. My holiday shopping list has a 4K UHD television in the #1 position. :D But I really fell in love with the Samsung QLED a few weeks ago. The pinpoint size of the pixel is so fine you can't see them at 2 feet from the screen. Pricey yeah, but I can't take it with me so it really has got my wallet's attention and I will probably go with the Q!! But did you know Samsung is making 8K QLED televisions now? Seriously. Search Amazon. You'll need to take out a second mortgage on your house.

If you are in the market for a 4K UHD television you should research LG OLED. (Sony also makes one but it uses an LG panel)

Better in every way (true black and doesn't need a backlight) compared to QLED (almost true black with a backlight which means it's really just a glorified LCD).

I'm a home theater nut... trust me... OLED is better. :)
 
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If you are in the market for a 4K UHD television you should research LG OLED. (Sony also makes one but it uses an LG panel)
Better in every way (true black and doesn't need a backlight) compared to QLED (almost true black with a backlight which means it's really just a glorified LCD).
I'm a home theater nut... trust me... OLED is better. :)
Thanks Travis for chiming in on the TV details as an expert witness. I'll have to take a serious look at the OLED displays. I had seen several OLEDs on the Walmart wall of tvs (can't recall brands and there were a lot of LGs) but was not familiar with the details of that technology....other than our EVO RC controllers have an OLED display and I'm impressed with that whenever I use just the RC. There is no doubt true black is much better not only when viewing broadcast or movies but it puts a bit more depth into gaming on them too.

Ironically as I was typing this a friend called from Fred Meyer and said there was a 65 inch LG 4K UHD tv on sale for $450. This guy is still watching a 19" CRT analog TV for his living room entertainment. I've been trying to get him to upgrade to a flat screen, any flat screen would be better than what he is watching. I have to say he is a bit "frugal." At the rate 4K is flooding the market I doubt you will be able to even by a plain LCD television next year.
 
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OK, since it's raining here, I'll jump in with my 2 cents and disagree. Yes, OLED has a better picture, especially blacks. I had one. It was the most unreliable TV I've ever owned. After 3 months of misery, on a 3-way call, an Amazon rep convinced a VERY reluctant LG to come pick-up my TV and give me a full refund -- Amazon customer service was/is incredible. LG? Awful. The tech who came out to replace the main board, twice, said OLED has 3X more warranty service calls. He said I needed a new OLED panel, and LG balked. They were screaming at each other over my iPhone in our bedroom --it was ridiculous. LG kinda forgot about that whole CUSTOMER thing.

If you must have OLED, get the longest extended warranty you can afford, and get the Sony. Sure, it has an LG OLED panel, because nobody else makes them, but everything else is Sony. Also, my old boss is a cable news junkie (poor woman), and her OLED burned-in the bottom scroll across the screen in 4 months. A known issue with OLED. LG offered her a new one, but she bailed and got a refund to go to QLED like I did. Since OLED''s cost a bit more, I used the extra refund money to go bigger to 75", my OLED was 65". Do I care that the blacks aren't quite as black? Nope, I love QLED and it turns-on every time I hit the button, unlike my LG. I was going to wait for mini-LED, which looks very promising, cheaper than OLED, won't burn-in, and is a refinement of existing tech (reliable). They just came out, but they won't be available from many makers until next year.
 
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Thanks Travis for chiming in on the TV details as an expert witness. I'll have to take a serious look at the OLED displays.

Ironically as I was typing this a friend called from Fred Meyer and said there was a 65 inch LG 4K UHD tv on sale for $450.

If your friend is seeing an LG TV for $450 it's an LCD. The OLED 55" is around $1500 and the 65" is $2100 as of today. The 77" is about $5000. Black Friday sales will save you a few more dollars. You should take a serious look... and don't pay too much attention to the hate that I'm about to reply to. Lemons can happen with any product. I can direct you to the AV forums I'm on with hundreds of people who stand by OLED and will echo the same statements I'm about to echo below.


OK, since it's raining here, I'll jump in with my 2 cents and disagree. Yes, OLED has a better picture, especially blacks. I had one. It was the most unreliable TV I've ever owned. After 3 months of misery, on a 3-way call, an Amazon rep convinced a VERY reluctant LG to come pick-up my TV and give me a full refund -- Amazon customer service was/is incredible. LG? Awful. The tech who came out to replace the main board, twice, said OLED has 3X more warranty service calls. He said I needed a new OLED panel, and LG balked. They were screaming at each other over my iPhone in our bedroom --it was ridiculous. LG kinda forgot about that whole CUSTOMER thing.

If you must have OLED, get the longest extended warranty you can afford, and get the Sony. Sure, it has an LG OLED panel, because nobody else makes them, but everything else is Sony. Also, my old boss is a cable news junkie (poor woman), and her OLED burned-in the bottom scroll across the screen in 4 months. A known issue with OLED.

I won't deny burn in can be an issue depending on the programming you watch but it's not a guarantee at all. Too many people think it is and that's just totally untrue. If you want to watch CNN all day like your old boss definitely DO NOT buy an OLED. That would be like buying a Ferrari as a grocery getter. Completely unnecessary. OLED is the best picture. Bar none. I own one and love it. But I also use mine in a home theater to watch 1080p and 4k UHD discs. I don't use mine to watch CNN 24/7 but for the record I have tuned into CNN and FOX News many many times and had experienced no ill effects.

If I was a 24/7 CNN junkie I'd have bought an LCD for $299 because those don't burn in no matter how long the ticker is on the screen.

As for your TV... it sounds like you just got unlucky. I've had my 65" B7 for 20 months... it has about 3600 hours on it and I haven't had a single problem. No burn in. No main board failure. No problems at all. Just a flawless picture that when paired with my Dolby Atmos sound system makes for an amazing home theater experience.

To each their own. :)
 
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