Goodrich aerospace protectant

General Information

How do pneumatic boots fight in-flight icing?
The pneumatic boot is a rubber device attached to a wing's leading edge, invented by the Goodrich Corporation (previously known as B.F. Goodrich) in 1923. The operating system is always the same: rubber “balloons” are glued to the leading edges on the wings and tail. Strips of the boot are alternately inflated and deflated to crack the ice accretion. This is repeated either manually or automatically for additional accumulations.

What are the advantages of pneumatic boots?
The main advantage of pneumatic boots is that you have your deicing capabilities with you. In comparison to the TKS system, you don’t have to worry about the stock of the de-icing fluid.

What are the disadvantages of pneumatic boots?

• Boots don’t prevent icing.
• Boots are maintenance intensive.
• Any holes in the boot will create air leaks that will decrease, if not eliminate, any effect that the boots may have.
• Periodic replacement is necessary.
• Boots are unable to handle extremely severe icing. It takes some experience to fly with pneumatic boots: if you use the boots too early, then you increase the area that the ice can occupy. If you use the boots too late, the boots may not have enough power to break the ice.