Flying airplanes gather ice. It’s cold up there. That ice can get into the machinery and cause significant danger. So how do you keep the ice away? The same way we do: with rubber boots.

Olivier Cleynen [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Basically, it’s a big rubber sheathe that fits over the wing. When ice accumulates, the rubber is inflated and the ice breaks off. Then you deflate the rubber and fly on in safety.

• Deicing boot
• Bleed air
• Ice protection system

Categories: Sciences Technology

The Generalist

I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and am curious about most things.