Vestergaard Company Launches Semi-Automatic Deicing System

Safety and efficiency are the highest priorities of all deicing operations. OPTIM-ICE delivers on both of these priorities. Vestergaard Company is proud to release the first version of its operator-assisted deicing system. This release is the first version and is meant for narrow-body aircraft wings and stabilizers. In the coming years, the software will be upgraded with increasingly more automation and all aircraft types.

Using LIDAR radars OPTIM-ICE initiates a job by scanning the aircraft in one quick pass. The software immediately recognizes the aircraft surface and selects the appropriate deicing patterns. The software then takes over and assists the operator by moving the nozzle in pre-selected patterns across the wing and stabilizer.

The radars ensure that the nozzle or telescope cannot touch the aircraft surfaces. A software will slow down the approach and stop it completely at designated distance (typically 1 meter).

The operator is still in control, and it is his or her judgment whether the surfaces are clean, but OPTIM-ICE performs the operation semi-automatically. Training can be reduced as the software assists the operator.

OPTIM-ICE can be ordered on new Elephant BETA deicers and be retrofitted to newer models.

Vestergaard is displaying a unit at outdoor exhibition stand EX17 at the GSE Expo Europe.