Duncan Aviation Prepared for Adverse Weather with New Deicing Protocols

Dec. 7, 2016
As a result of NATA's Safety 1st Deicing training, all Duncan Aviation FBO locations have updated deicing procedures and protocols.
LINCOLN, NEB — As parts of the United States are hit with icy precipitation, Duncan Aviation stands prepared and equipped to keep aircraft safe for flight. During the mild days of autumn, before the first snowflakes fell, six members of the Duncan Aviation Line Crew from Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Lincoln, Nebraska, traveled to Salt Lake City to attend NATA’s (National Air Transportation Association) first-ever Safety 1st Deicing training.Annual deicing training is essential, says Troy Hyberger, Manager of FBO Services with Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln facility. “Even if you have been doing this for years, it never hurts to practice the basics of the deicing process, learn new regulations, and be reminded of the hold-over times and hazmat dangers of the deicing fluid.”  As a result of the two days of training, all Duncan Aviation FBO locations have updated deicing procedures and protocols, resulting in better communication among team members and with the pilots.Line Services Team Leader Steve Korgie says the best part of training was the hands-on experience of how to spray the aircraft. “We were introduced to state-of-the-art deicing equipment and were able to get hands-on experience with the fluids, learning the science behind how they work.”“With all locations following the same deicing protocols, customers will know exactly what to expect when they arrive at any Duncan Aviation facility,” says Ben Hammond, Manager of FBO Services in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. “Deicing is serious business. Customers can be confident that no matter which Duncan Aviation location they choose, they will be met with a line crew that is knowledgeable about deicing procedures and that they will have a safe experience.”Duncan Aviation’s two full-service MROs located in Battle Creek and Lincoln and the company’s FBO in Kalamazoo offer a two-step anti-icing/deicing process with Type 1 (T1) and Type 4 (T4) capabilities to battle the often-severe winter weather experienced throughout the middle of the United States.All FBO services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As long as the airports remain open for operation, they are equipped and prepared to get an aircraft cleared for flight, even in the most severe weather conditions.Duncan Aviation-Battle Creek has an FMC model TM-1800 that holds 1,800 gallons of T1 fluid and 400 gallons of T4. It dispenses the deicing/anti-icing agents under high pressure from a boom-height of 41 feet, making larger aircraft easy to service.Duncan Aviation-Lincoln employs a Premier Deicer with the capacity to hold 700 gallons of T1 and 150 gallons of T4. This high-pressure system with a 35-foot boom allows the truck to remain outside of the safety triangle of the aircraft and still be able to effectively cover the wings with enough time to taxi to the runway and safely take off.Duncan Aviation-Kalamazoo has a Ford 800 that holds 1800 gallons T1 and 400 gallons T4. The boom is capable of reaching 42 feet high with a high pressure system that has heated Type 1.About Duncan AviationDuncan Aviation is an aircraft service provider supporting the aviation needs of government and business operators and other service providers. Services include major and minor airframe inspections, engine maintenance, major retrofits for cabin and cockpit systems, full paint and interior services and preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions. Duncan Aviation also has international aircraft components solutions experts available 24/7/365 at +1 402.475.4125 who can handle any aircraft system problem with immediate exchanges, rotables, loaners or avionics/instrument/accessory repairs and overhauls. Complete service facilities are located in Lincoln, Neb., and Battle Creek, Mich. Additional locations include Provo, Utah, and more than 20 other facilities strategically located throughout the United States to provide customers with local support and the quickest response to avionics, engine and airframe Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations.  For more information about any of Duncan Aviation’s services, call +1 402.475.2611 or visit  www.DuncanAviation.aero