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originally posted by: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
A katabatic wind, from the Greek word κατάβασις katabasis meaning "descending", is the technical name for a drainage wind, a wind that carries high density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity.
Wikipedia.
That is when mountains are involved. The atmosphere can also stratify between layers.
As a plane ascends or descends through these layers ice can form. Usually, they don't grow to large sizes but it looks like they can!
Full disclosure, I was reading about Antarctica and how winds convert a solid snow flake back to water before it hits the ground (a reason why the back side of mountains can be drier than the other side). The first person to respond was like, "Duh! Any pilot can tell you this as you pass through layers of atmosphere..." which is the only reason I know about this! I looked up the stuff on Wikipedia and had it handy!
originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: WakeUpBeer
They normally come offearly in the descent as they get into warmer air. Most of the time this happens on long haul flights when they stay in extremely cold air for a long time. It happens at other times, but the most common ones are from longer flights.
They've occasionally hit a house or car, and I think there was one that was claimed to have killed someone IIRC. The problem is that there are so many flights that it's almost impossible to narrow down exactly which aircraft it came from.
originally posted by: face23785
When I was refueling planes in the Air Force I have seen a few planes with significant ice, and it's not like I got to them 5 minutes after they landed either.
Once there was so much water spilling off a wing I freaked out thinking it was a fuel leak. Nope, just a lot of melting ice.
originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Xtrozero
Ice builds up in strange shapes on drain masts.
originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Xtrozero
If the mast is leaking, it can build up a big chunk of ice before it breaks off. Back in February a 22 pound block of ice came off a plane and went through a garage in the UK. About a week later a foot long chunk of ice went through a roof in Canada. In 2010, something similar happened with a 2 foot chunk of ice going through a roof.
originally posted by: Kester
a reply to: F4guy
It doesn't look blue in any of the images.
www.newsletter.co.uk...
originally posted by: face23785
a reply to: Zaphod58
I didn't know that. I was just taking a guess based on experience with our fuel storage systems. When it got cold out, our piping that was full of fuel usually wasn't quite as cold as other metal around it that wasn't full of fuel. I always figured the fuel was helping moderate the temperature, due to the FSII additive.