Meteorology students launching dozens of weather balloons for aircraft icing research
RAL expert quoted in NIU article
RAL expert quoted in NIU article
COURTESY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
By Tom Parisi | February 13, 2019 PM
Northern Illinois University meteorology students are on cloud nine over a research project that will require the launch of as many as 40 weather balloons from campus to help gather data on the conditions that cause icing on aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are overseeing the research project, known as the In-Cloud Icing and Large-Drop Experiment (ICICLE). The weather balloon observations will be used to decide optimal times for flights by a high-tech research aircraft taking off from Chicago Rockford International Airport.
Ultimately, the study could help to reduce the rate of aircraft icing-related accidents and fatalities.
