A typical icing forecast produced by the U.S. Aviation Weather Center details the potential for airframe ice. The darker areas have greater icing potential.

by Jeb Burnside

There are two weather phenomena that the average personal airplane just doesn’t handle well: thunderstorms and airframe icing. No one in their right mind—except researchers—would intentionally fly an airplane into the teeth of a mature thunderstorm; avoiding that potential is why we have airborne radar and in-cockpit displays of NexRad images. Just as dangerous—and even more insidious—is airframe icing. Almost before a pilot is aware of it, ice can build on an airframe and dramatically affect its performance by adding weight and drag while interfering with lift production. This kind of “double-whammy” can be merely inconvenient or it can be catastrophic. …