By Ray Leis

Some pilots start worrying about ice as soon as they see the first traces of it on the wings, on the windshield or on a strut. And indeed they should: The NTSB lists 40 to 50 accidents/incidents every winter resulting from airframe icing. In addition, about the same number result from winter’s effects on induction systems—if the engine can’t breathe, it can’t make power.

The good news is that most of these accidents are preventable. If you take off with ice or snow on the airplane, you’re both braver and less intelligent than many. Airborne, once the ice is there, something probably needs to be done about it. That…