What is the worst environmental factor in aviation? Ice is an environmental factor that can cause serious problems. Ice usually starts and builds up on the leading edge or nose of the airplane. It can also form on the tail and that is a terrible situation. There are three types of ice such as clear, rime and mixed. Clear ice typically forms after the impact of liquid. Once the liquid makes contact it freezes as a smooth sheet of ice. Rime ice forms from smaller droplets that rapidly freeze on impact. Rime ice is lighter than clear ice, but its shape disrupts the aerodynamics. The last type of ice is mixed. This forms when the liquid drops are varied sizes and have frost. It builds up rough ice and interferes with airflow. When the aerodynamics changes, there can be more drag and less lift. If you lose the lift and try to increase the angle of attack to hold altitude you will stall the plane. Pilots are trained to recover from stalls and regain airspeed. It is best to study the weather long before your flight. Go through your flight plan and read the weather in areas you will pass. The best thing to do when first seeing ice accumulate is contact ATC and request altitude change. If you have the option, you can use deicing boots and turn the pitot heat on. Monitor your airspeed and rpm to notice any unexpected changes. You are going to have to change by a few thousand feet and it is better to increase altitude. In the meantime, it is good to look for a nearby airport that you can land at if the situation gets worse. Ice has caused many accidents and needs to always be taken seriously. 

How does icing affect your aircraft? Hartzell Propeller. (2018, February 13). Retrieved September 17, 2021, from https://hartzellprop.com/icing-affect-aircraft/.