Safe Flight System Warns of Actual Icing Conditions
Combining moisture detection with accurate temperature information allows the system to detect when icing conditions are encountered.

Safe Flight Instrument of White Plains, N.Y., has developed an aircraft-based icing conditions detector (ICD) system using a combination of optical detection and a shielded temperature probe. The optical system uses an LED, a prism and an infrared sensor to detect the presence of moisture in the air.

Combining moisture detection with accurate temperature information allows the system to detect when icing conditions are encountered, and an alert is issued to the pilot. This allows the crew to take appropriate actions, such as activating ice protection systems or finding different meteorological conditions before the ice accretion becomes critical.