8.8 DETECTION OF IN-FLIGHT ICING CONDITIONS THROUGH THE ANALYSIS OF HYDROMETEORS WITH A VERTICALLY POINTING RADAR

In the 100 years since the Wright Brothers first flew a powered aircraft, aviation has not only exploded in popularity, but also has faced many challenges. Since 1931 when icing was first suggested as a possible accident explanation, aircraft icing has been recognized as a significant aviation hazard. Despite extensive research and regulations by the US government, in the last several years (1982 to 2000) there were almost 700 lives and over 450 planes lost in US general aviation accidents where icing played some role (Petty et al., 2003). In the United States alone, an average of 24 accidents, 30 fatalities and 96 million dollars in damage result from icing related accidents each year (Paull and Hagy, 1999). Because of these disturbing statistics, pilots