We lucked out today in terms of the snowstorm. We only got an inch in Sea Cliff which is great, because Stan and I were headed for LaGuardia for a flight to El Paso, Texas for a week of photographing the landscape and the night skies. We were worried that flights would be cancelled and we had planned this trip for several months. Because of the ice and snow, all the planes were "deiced" before taxiing out for takeoff. This shows two workers in little yellow cabs on long arms that can move all around the outside of the airplane to remove the ice.
First they apply a soapy hot water solution to melt any ice that might be on the outside of the aircraft, and then they apply another solution, which is thicker and dyed green. It is very sticky and stays on top of the wing and tail surfaces to protect them from more ice, according to the captain that I talked to. When the aircraft begins its takeoff, at about 80 knots the green material just slides off the wing from the air rushing over the wing, and the plane takes off with a clean wing, which is important. I have never before been in an aircraft which was being deiced, so it was cool to watch.
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