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ERDC/CRREL TR-02-13
ment. The 38th ID Avn Bde, an Indiana National Guard unit, flies UH-1H/V
aircraft, which are rated for flight in trace and light icing, but the commander
noted that his aviators avoid all icing when possible; consequently, he rated
forecasted icing conditions as having a high impact on mission. The commander
of the 4-123rd Avn Regt at Fort Wainwright also regarded forecasted icing
conditions as a high-impact situation; he commented that his aviators' ability to
fly in instrument meteorological conditions most of the year is restricted as a
result of icing and the UH-60A's poor deicing capabilities. Finally, the
commander of the 1-6 Attack Squadron (6th Cavalry Brigade) at Camp Eagle,
Korea, rated forecasted icing conditions as high impact, stating that if his
squadron with AH-64A aircraft had to fight during winter months from a field
site, forecasted icing conditions would be a problem and would limit their ability
to get in the fight.
2. Flight operations questionnaire.
Parts B, C, and D of the flight operations questionnaire elicit information on
three measures of icing impact. They are a) the cancellation of scheduled flights
as a result of ground icing, b) the cancellation of scheduled flights as a result of
actual or forecast icing, and c) the disruption of flights (aborted, redirected, etc.)
as a result of unexpected in-flight icing. The questionnaire results are summa-
rized in Tables 57; a compilation of results by unit is given in Appendix E. The
scale for assessing icing's impact in a given month is as follows: no impact
(flights never affected), moderate impact (110% of flights affected), and severe
impact (more than 10% of flights affected).
a. Cancellation of scheduled flights due to ground icing.
By the criterion that cancellation of more than 10% of scheduled flights in a
given month is a severe impact on operations, the only aviation units severely
affected are in Germany, Indiana, and Virginia (Table 5). Not surprisingly,
ground icing is a severe problem in December, January, and February at these
locations. The severely affected units are the 2-1st Avn Regt (GSAB) in
Katterback, Germany; the 1-4 Cavalry Squadron in Schweinfurt, Germany (both
in the 1st Infantry Division); the National Guard's 38th ID Avn Bde in Indiana;
and the 1-222nd Avn Regt at Fort Eustis, Virginia. The majority of units in
Germany typically have fewer than 10% of their flights in winter cancelled as
a result of ground icing. None of the responding units in Korea are severely
affected by ground icing.
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