Boeing to Test Non-Stick Paint That Shields From Icing
- Study with Embraer follows bug-proofing research with NASA
- Coating may cause ice to slide harmlessly off plane’s wings
Airport personnel work to de-ice airplanes at Boston's Logan International Airport. Boeing is working on a new non-stick aircraft coatings that may provide a solution to icing.
Photographer: Boston Globe via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Boeing Co. plans to test whether new non-stick aircraft coatings may provide a simple solution to an age-old aviation hazard: icing.
The paints are designed to cause ice to slide harmlessly off a plane’s wings and flight-control surfaces, where dangerous build-ups can cause stalls or make aircraft difficult to control. They may help with another issue as well: bug splats that disrupt the flow of air over a jetliner’s wings.