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Issue link: https://groundsupportworldwide.epubxp.com/i/643581
18 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE FEBRUARY 2016 INTERNATIONAL craft always carries a risk of collision. "Our service providers have damaged aircraft while de-icing. Running prop strikes with beta truck tusks, usually the operator has deviated from SOP. With open bucket trucks we have had wing and tail strikes with the truck bucket," says Polak. Schenk notes that the use of sand without a proper process to ensure that it is removed in a timely fashion can lead to aircraft engine damage. "There is a lot of discussion now about the impacts to carbon fbre brake com- ponents and electrical components due to use of formiates and acetates," he adds. It is also out of the operational experience learnt in North America (as well as other parts of the world where winter is normal- ly very tough, like for example the Scan- dinavian countries in Europe) that ground support equipment (GSE) manufacturers have been increasingly developing equip- ment in accordance with the principle of inherent operational risk reduction, whereby the machines are less prone to cause aircraft damage. The principle of inherent operational risk reduction is achieving some critical mass in the manufacturing of equipment in support of winter operations with newer de-icing and anti-icing equipment being developed to reduce the likelihood of damage. Jazz Avi- ation's experience has benefted from the safety features built into ground support equipment and namely the case has been that proximity sensors have helped, says Polak; he stresses, however, the tusk sensors have still struck running propellers. Vestergaard Company, of Denmark, has also embraced risk reduction on the manu- facturing side of their de-icing equipment. "Our de-icers are developed to minimize – or nearly eliminate – the risk of damage to the aircraft during operation as well as ensuring safety for both de-icing operators and other ground personnel around the air- craft," Karina Læssøe, marketing manager at Vestergaard, says. "With the long telescopic boom, the nozzle can be kept within one meter of the aircraft surface throughout de-icing operations for virtually any air- craft while still remaining at a safe distance. The length of the boom and telescope means less maneuvering around aircraft, thereby minimizing the risks of accidents." Læssøe highlights that a number of safety features that are engineered into Vestergaard's de-icers, with the most prom- inent one being the Precision Positioning System (PPS) that helps keep the nozzle within exactly one meter from the aircraft surface, the most optimal distance in de-ic- ing. "With the PPS, distance to the aircraft surface is maintained stable automatically thereby improving safety during operations and reducing the risk of aircraft damage," she says. Schenk also highlights that there have been signifcant improvements over the past decade in being able to specifcally meter the use of anti-icing and de-icing products. "A number of companies are now providing the ability to integrate friction measuring devices and chemical application units. Using this methodology the friction measuring vehicle sends data to the chemical application trucks and tasks them where to apply material based on friction values in that area. This is of most use on runways. Essentially the truck runs the route and the chemical is automatically tasked to apply based on values sent by the friction measuring device," he says. 3. Auditing Winter operations have also become more resilient due to an improved oversight over the years on the suppliers of aircraft de-icing and anti-icing services, part of an industry that is rather fragmented. Regulations on air operations state that the ultimate responsi- bility of de-icing and anti-icing of aircraft resides with the airline operators them- selves; as a consequence, the actual suppli- ers of these services are subject to multiple audits which can compound complexity and bureaucracy. Multiple industry initiatives are, however, aiming towards audit data sharing in order to avoid having to subject the same suppliers to multiple redundant audits. Several international airlines establishing the IATA de-icing/anti-icing quality control pool (DAQCP) under the leadership of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to share audit results. The program has been oriented at avoiding multiple audits of the same provider at the same location and improving the quality of inspections with fewer and more effective audits carried out by accredited DAQCP inspectors in accor- dance with evaluation criteria established by the pool itself. The stations are assigned each year by the pool and are based on the airports served by airline DAQCP members. The DAQCP currently consists of about 100 member airlines and through its active members, performs inspections on approx- imately 600 companies that provide de-ic- ing/anti-icing services and post de-icing/ anti-icing checks at more than 300 airports worldwide. The DAQCP also offers a passive membership to operators that do not have an audit organization or the experience in winter operations, according to information posted on IATA's website. The DAQCP audits comprise multiple areas including the compliance of proce-