High Altitude Ice Crystals

Commercial aircraft have been experiencing in-service events while flying in the vicinity of deep convective clouds since at least the early 1990s. Heated probes and engines are the areas of air-craft most prone to mixed phase and glaciated icing threat. In anticipation of regulation changes regarding mixed phase and glaciated icing conditions, the HAIC project will provide the necessary Acceptable Means of Compliance (numerical and test capabilities) and appropriate ice particle de-tection/awareness technologies to the European aeronautical industry for use on-board commercial aircraft in order to enhance safety when an aircraft is flying in such weather conditions.

HAIC will achieve high Technology Readiness Level (TRL6) for technologies (radar, detector) and capabilities (numerical models and tools, test facilities) developed as part of the project.

HAIC is a 4-year integrated project comprising 34 partners representing the European stakeholders of the aeronautical industry from eleven European countries and 3 partners from Australia, Canada and the United States.

HAIC will also develop international cooperation and collaboration thanks to the involvement of key international organisations and companies as partners of the project or through the HAIC Advisory Board.

Letters of support from organisations who will participate in the HAIC Advisory Board are provided in Annex 4. These have been received from BOEING, ENVIRONMENT CANADA, EUROCAE, FAA, GE, GOODRICH, HAWKER BEECHCRAFT, ICC, MTU, NASA, and NTI.

Finally, HAIC will complement the work performed by part of existing international projects and working groups, notably EASA-HighIWC, HIWC, Engine Icing Working Group and Ice Crystals Consortium, and pave the way towards the ACARE 2020 and Flight Path 2050 safety objectives.

This proposal is submitted against the following call line: AAT 2012.3.5.1-1 Integrated approach to safe flights under icing conditions.