HerrGruyere
Line Up and Wait
Quick question:
I was at the airport a while ago and it was a cold night. I was going for a flight. I noticed what looked like a frozen substance on the wing above the fuel tank area. A quick wipe of my hand seemed to get a little bit of it off, and a small scrape with my nail got the rest. It was only slightly moist to the touch. I got what I could get off. It didn't look like frost to me. Just like a slightly frozen concentration - like when you pull a beer glass out of the freezer and it gets all frosty* on the outside. Sort of like that. Was that frost? The plane didn't fly much differently, and there wasn't any on the plane when I got back.
I ask because this weekend I would like to go flying. The weather calls for a bit of snow the night before. I just wanted to know what to look for after I brush the plane off (if I need to).
I also know to ask about runway conditions and braking and stuff. Granted, this is a well-maintained airport so I'm not too worried. I just didn't fly a whole lot in winter. I started training in the middle of February and we flew through a little bit of snow just once.
Any insight is appreciated.
Best,
Pete
*I realize I said "frosty" here. I just want to make sure of the difference between frost and frozen condensation/dew.
I was at the airport a while ago and it was a cold night. I was going for a flight. I noticed what looked like a frozen substance on the wing above the fuel tank area. A quick wipe of my hand seemed to get a little bit of it off, and a small scrape with my nail got the rest. It was only slightly moist to the touch. I got what I could get off. It didn't look like frost to me. Just like a slightly frozen concentration - like when you pull a beer glass out of the freezer and it gets all frosty* on the outside. Sort of like that. Was that frost? The plane didn't fly much differently, and there wasn't any on the plane when I got back.
I ask because this weekend I would like to go flying. The weather calls for a bit of snow the night before. I just wanted to know what to look for after I brush the plane off (if I need to).
I also know to ask about runway conditions and braking and stuff. Granted, this is a well-maintained airport so I'm not too worried. I just didn't fly a whole lot in winter. I started training in the middle of February and we flew through a little bit of snow just once.
Any insight is appreciated.
Best,
Pete
*I realize I said "frosty" here. I just want to make sure of the difference between frost and frozen condensation/dew.