Weather & Flight
Propeller & Drone Icing Calculator
Assess atmospheric icing hazard, dew point spread, and propeller thrust loss percentage.
Planning aid only — not certified flight-planning software or airspace clearance. Always verify results against your own aircraft's manual and check current regulations before flying. Full disclaimer.
Weather & Flight Parameters
Icing Assessment & Hazard Index
severe RiskSevere Icing Hazard! Supercooled large droplets create heavy clear ice on propeller leading edges, risking sudden thrust loss and motor stall.
Ice disrupts laminar airflow over small multirotor prop blades, causing motors to draw up to 1.6x more battery current to maintain hover altitude.
Pilot Action Items & Mitigations:
- Flight NOT recommended — extreme risk of uncommanded descent or crash within 1–2 minutes.
- Small multirotor props can lose up to 80% thrust rapidly under glaze ice accretion.
- If already airborne, immediately descend to warmer air and land safely.
How UAV In-Flight Icing Works
When a drone flies through sub-freezing air with high relative humidity or visible moisture (fog, mist, low clouds), supercooled water droplets freeze upon contact with propeller leading edges and airframe sensors. Because multirotor propellers operate at high RPMs, ice accretion can deform the airfoil shape and destroy up to 80% of aerodynamic thrust within 60 seconds, leading to uncommanded descent or total loss of control.
Clear Ice vs. Rime Ice
Clear ice (glaze) forms between +2°C and -4°C in high humidity from larger supercooled water droplets that spread before freezing, creating a heavy, glassy layer that adheres tightly. Rime ice forms at colder temperatures (-4°C to -15°C) from smaller droplets freezing instantly, creating a rough, milky, brittle texture that increases drag and motor vibration.
Cold Weather Flight Precautions
Always pre-warm flight batteries to at least 20°C before takeoff, avoid flying inside visible clouds or freezing fog, maintain a 30% battery reserve for Return-To-Home, and land immediately if telemetry shows climbing motor current or unexplained altitude loss.