Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
While it may sound straight out of an episode of The Twilight Zone, spraying a green- or orange-colored fluid onto the wings and other parts of an aircraft is an ordinary occurrence during winter weather conditions to deice aircraft before takeoff. But what is the purpose of these fluids, how do they work, and how do they contribute to ensuring people remain safe while flying in winter conditions? NSF NCAR scientists have been conducting research with support from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for many years to determine these answers, including developing a unique artificial snow generation system (or snow machine) for testing these fluids.
In his Explorer Series lecture, scientist Scott Landolt will provide insights into the science behind these fluids, an overview of the snow machine, and the ongoing research challenges associated with testing these fluids in various winter conditions.
While it may sound straight out of an episode of The Twilight Zone, spraying a green- or orange-colored fluid onto the wings and other parts of an aircraft is an ordinary occurrence during winter weather conditions to deice aircraft before takeoff. But what is the purpose of these fluids, how do they work, and how do they contribute to ensuring people remain safe while flying in winter conditions? NSF NCAR scientists have been conducting research with support from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for many years to determine these answers, including developing a unique artificial snow generation system (or snow machine) for testing these fluids.
In his Explorer Series lecture, scientist Scott Landolt will provide insights into the science behind these fluids, an overview of the snow machine, and the ongoing research challenges associated with testing these fluids in various winter conditions.
