Eighty-seven individuals from three aircraft manufacturers attended a recent University of Tennessee Space Institute course on aircraft icing in Wichita, Kansas.

Richard Ranaudo, a professor in UTSI’s Aviation Systems Department, who initiated icing courses at the Institute, was director of the course held Nov. 7-16.

After two days of formal lectures, six days of specialized simulator training was provided, using the NASA Glenn Research Center’s simulator known as the Ice Contamination Effects Flight Training Device (ICEFTD).

“The simulator training reinforced the lecture material by having pilots perform approach and landing tasks when wings and tail surfaces were contaminated by ice accumulations,” Ranaudo said.

Helping Ranaudo develop this course were associates at the Glenn Research Center, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the University of Illinois, and the Atlanta Federal Administration Aircraft Certification Office.

Attendees were from Bombardier-Learjet, Cessna, Raytheon, and FAA aircraft certification personnel from the Wichita and Albany, N.Y., aircraft certification offices. Included were test pilots, flight test engineers, system engineers, and aircraft certification authorities.

Ranaudo, joined by other subject matter experts from each of the participating organizations, presented the lectures. Topics included icing meteorology, flight instrumentation, ice formations, aircraft icing certification, aerodynamic effects of icing, aircraft performance and stability and control, and aircraft handling problems due to icing.

The simulator is unique,” Ranaudo said. “Unlike most aircraft icing simulators that use an exaggerated weight to provide icing characteristics, it operates with a fully computing aerodynamic icing data base that is accessed by a six-degree of freedom simulation model.”

The aerodynamic icing data base was derived from extensive wind tunnel models that were later verified by full-scale flight testing with ice shapes on a test aircraft.

“Throughout the simulation, pilots experienced stability and control problems, high control forces, and other control anomalies, which greatly affected their ability to perform the flight tasks,” Ranaudo said.

“Most pilots completing their one-hour training session exited the simulator perspiring quite freely but giving very high marks to the realism and applicability of their experience.”

Several pilots said the combination of formal lectures and simulator training were “the best and most realistic icing training they had ever received,” Ranaudo recalled.

Twice Ranaudo has conducted smaller icing short courses at UTSI’s Flight Research Center that included flights in the Institute’s variable stability aircraft to simulate in-flight icing effects. Those sessions, as was the one held in Wichita, were provided by UTSI’s Department of Continuing Education, headed by Becky Stines, (931) 393-7276, bstines@utsi. Ranaudo may be reached at (931) 393-7496, rranaudo@utsi.edu.

“Rich Ranaudo has brought his expertise into a much needed area of training,” Stines said. “His organization of lecturers and handling of this overall course presentation was very impressive and a definite asset to the Space Institute. Our Continuing Education Program is here for the public and private sector need, and we’re open to suggestions about other specific courses.”