Tool of the day
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: B-737NG preferably in first class with a glass of champagne and caviar
Posts: 5,730

They *might* have had frost from the night before. Or dew that looked like frost (if it's a NB or bigger I'm not going to get a ladder and crawl around the top of the wing doing a tactile check). Keep in mind that a cell-phone pic of something that looks like frost could generate media interest and an annoying company/FAA investigation... got to respect the optics these days.

Or they might have been padding their block time, that's an old trick if the company is screwing over labor. Or they might have been just trying to stick it to the man (de-ice ain't cheap... ).


Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: B-737NG preferably in first class with a glass of champagne and caviar
Posts: 5,730

After a few hours at cruise the jet would cold soak. It was common to have ice on the upper surface of the wings. Per SOP... transfer cold wing fuel to the center tank then put warm fuel (from the bowser) into the wing. Ice turns to water, of course. However tactile checks were always accomplished I/A/W SOPs... with ladder and all and no mobile phone pictures. A back pack, which I referred to the Round-up weed killer pump, containing de-ice fluid would be used de-ice the upper surface of the wing.

All of my examples are from personal experience or observation, including a carpet dance for not de-icing a plane covered in dew (reported by a busybody pax)... I won that one since the plane was RON (no cold soak) and the temps never got anywhere near below 40 that night per the METARs. And yes I've seen people de-ice with the slimmest excuse to pad the block, and do it because they were just mad at the company.
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2009
Posts: 578

I vote for the pax who told one of our FA’s that he’s a Navy fighter pilot and wanted to ask us if our wing anti ice was on. He was concerned about icing as he had been flying in the same area the day before and accumulated ice. This was in climb out above 25,000 and we got called by the lead who conveyed his concerns. Thanks Maverick for your PIREP and concern.
Banned
Joined APC: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,473

I vote for the pax who told one of our FA’s that he’s a Navy fighter pilot and wanted to ask us if our wing anti ice was on. He was concerned about icing as he had been flying in the same area the day before and accumulated ice. This was in climb out above 25,000 and we got called by the lead who conveyed his concerns. Thanks Maverick for your PIREP and concern.
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jun 2018
Posts: 41

I vote for the pax who told one of our FA’s that he’s a Navy fighter pilot and wanted to ask us if our wing anti ice was on. He was concerned about icing as he had been flying in the same area the day before and accumulated ice. This was in climb out above 25,000 and we got called by the lead who conveyed his concerns. Thanks Maverick for your PIREP and concern.
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