Winter conditions pose a challenge for every facet of aviation.
Whether an airline, ground handler or ground support equipment (GSE) manufacturer, cold weather conditions are on the forefront of many people’s minds as all parties share the same priority of keeping commercial aircraft operating on time.
That’s why deicers, heaters, snowplows and other winter equipment become paramount when ice and snow begin to accumulate at an airport.
“The winter season can throw such a wrench into how the airline industry is ran,” explains Luke Brown, director of sales at Ground Support Specialist. “All the equipment changes because of how complicated winter can get.
“Still, planes need to take-off no matter what the weather.”
The Right Equipment for the Season
As a worldwide ground handling company, Menzies Aviation operates at more than 200 airport locations and across six continents, so a wide range of GSE is required throughout the year.
“There are some items of GSE, such as deicing rigs, which are used significantly more during the winter months,” says Jim Cree, GM of technical standards – winter ops at Menzies.
In addition to deicer trucks, deicing fluid storage facilities and pumps, warm air blowers, cabin heaters and ground power units (GPUs) also take on a more significant role as temperatures dip.
“We also use PCAir carts that have a heat function, as well as cooling, for winter operations in southern states,” adds Don Redwine, senior manager of fleet planning, reliability and warranty at Southwest Airlines.
This range of winter equipment is critical for cold weather operations and getting reliable performance from these units takes on more importance.
In order for a ground service provider to determine the appropriate equipment for a specific station, both climate and the aircraft being serviced should be considered.
For example, explains Adam Houpt, vice president of operations at Ground Support Specialist, if the biggest aircraft at that airport is a Boeing 737 or similarly sized plane, a full-size, wide-body deicer isn’t necessary.
“But then again, the reality is, should a plane land there, you have to have equipment there capable of servicing that,” Houpt notes.
Likewise, a warm-weather location will not need to perform deicing tasks as frequently as its cold-weather counterpart and can purchase equipment accordingly.
“If you’re talking about, for instance, Chicago, obviously you’ve got a wide range of aircraft flying in there and the turnaround time is the blink of an eye. It would make sense for someone to look at wide-body deicer that can service an entire fleet,” Houpt explains.
“At some point, they have to weigh the pros and cons of ‘do we have this extra expense for this larger capable unit? Or can we swing it if a random, rogue plane lands there?’"
GSE Features
Because of the complexity winter poses to ground support operations, regular updates to GSE aim to make the turnaround process smoother.
“We have a new fleet of deicers from JBT we are using for the first time in MSP this season,” Southwest’s Redwine offers as an example.
With more than 200 deicing vehicles in their GSE fleet, Menzies is utilizing several advancements.
“This ranges from the use of forced air and ‘fluid blend up’ technologies in our more advanced enclosed basket deicing rigs, to the use of intuitive hardware – both fitted to the deicing rigs in the form of telemetry and sensors, and handheld devices, which provide real-time visibility of aircraft deicing activities to our customer airlines and also to the wider airport communities,” Cree explains.
“We recently introduced the ability to electronically deliver the anti-icing code to the aircraft following deicing, via ACARS, or directly into an EFB,” Cree continues. “This seamless transfer of the required deicing data enhances the deicing experience provided to each aircraft’s flight crew.”
From a manufacturer’s perspective, Ground Support Specialist has developed its GS2100 WRAPTOR deicer to provide versatility to those working in the field.
“We are able to handle those small, little commuter aircraft all the way up to a wide-body,” Brown says, adding the first generation is an open-basket design, but an enclosed basket option is in the works.
Features – ranging from a single-engine vehicle and purpose-built chassis, to a 44-foot, 6-inch working height and 2,000-gallon total fluid capacity, to its 147.6-horsepower engine and swing-out module for maintenance ease – were integrated from feedback GSS received for service providers on the ramp.
A single-engine design, Brown notes, eliminates some environmental concerns and reduces the number of components that may need repair.
“These are heavy machines, so they have a lot of maintenance that they have to have on them. Reducing that definitely reduces the maintenance,” he says. “It also makes it a green deicer. While we don’t offer equipment that’s electric, this is an option where it’s going to reduce emissions.”
Spec’ing Considerations
When making a deicer purchase for a station, there are multiple factors to weigh.
“New technologies should always be welcomed and embraced,” Menzies’ Cree says. “And we work with the GSE providers to develop and employ these in order to enhance the provision of services to our customer’s aircraft.”
Again, climate, weather patterns and traffic volume can play a major role in these decisions. Officials at GSS note an operation can handcuff itself if it misses the mark on determining a certain working height or fluid capacity.
“How many planes are you deicing that day? How often are you able to put more fluid into your deicer?” Brown asks.
In addition to determining the boom height and working height necessities, the basket style also needs to be considered. An enclosed basket provides additional warmth and comfort in the wintertime, but an open basket can provide better vision and versatility – for example, using the vehicle for aircraft washing in warmer seasons.
“At our larger deicing operations, and where there is a significant use of centralized deicing facilities, aircraft are deiced with their main engines running,” Cree points out. “There is a necessary drive to invest in the latest enclosed basket deicing rigs, often with a single-operative capability. This type of equipment creates a significantly improved operating environment for our colleagues, while also providing many additional options and enhancements for our customers.
“As part of the portfolio of services, we provide wet and dry exterior aircraft washing services at several airport locations,” Cree continues. “We use our ‘open basket’ deicing rigs for this service, which allows us to cross-utilize GSE throughout winter and summer months. The added benefit of this approach is the use and maintenance of the equipment is spread across the whole year, ensuring a good investment.”
“I think that weight limit is important, too,” Brown adds in regard to basket design. “It gives users the opportunity to put two people in the basket. That can help out with training significantly.”
The capacity for deicing fluid, both Type I and Type IV, also becomes crucial.
“It has a lot to do with turn-time and the ability to service multiple aircraft throughout the operation,” Houpt says, noting smaller deicers may have a capacity of a few hundred gallons while larger units may handle upwards of 2,000 gallons.
“When you’re choosing what kind of truck you’re looking for, in addition to what airplane it’s going to service, you have to know how often you want to refill,” Brown adds. “If you’re going to have to refill every truck, especially on a snowy day, you might want to consider a higher capacity of fluid – just so you don’t have to continually refill it all day.”
Horsepower also becomes an important consideration, and the amount necessary varies depending on application, such as the use of forced air deicing.
GSS had ease of maintenance in mind when designing its swing out module, allowing the engine compartment to pivot away from the vehicle for better access.
“They don’t want to crawl into the back of it, when they can just be standing up and working on it. It makes it a lot easier for them,” Brown says.
As with any piece of equipment, reliability and after-sale support is crucial. When bad weather threatens to delay or even cancel flights, a deicer working properly when called upon becomes even more essential.
“Reliability during cold weather operation is the foremost consideration followed by after-sale support,” Redwine confirms.
“We’ve got specific timeframes,” says Houpt. “Whenever a plane is grounded, and they’re out there prepared to be deiced, you have to rely on your unit for the function and quickness of it – starting up, getting up to temp and having the ability to deice, turn around and anti-ice within the allotted time, so we can get the planes into the sky as quickly as possible.”
