Artificial and Natural Icing Conditions Flight Tests on the Piaggio P.180 Avanti Aircraft

The icing tests carried out on the Piaggio P.180 “Avanti” aircraft throughout development and certification program are herein described from preliminary evaluation in wind-tunnel tests to real flight in artificial icing conditions realized behind U.S. Air Force air tanker NKC-135 and, finally, to natural ice tests performed in a wide range of atmospheric environments comprehensive of a wide range of average liquid water contents, cloud droplets median volume diameter and static temperature obtained in significant icing conditions.

Slight discrepances between data in artificial and natural tests have been discovered and herein discussed.