Ron Fortier

Classic video game programmer of Zaxxon, Bruce Lee & Conan. Helping 800 dentists, doctors & local businesses as Director of SEO and Product @DoctorGeniusCA

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

Such a great yearly watch. I still laugh out loud when I hear the descending whale chunks

[Brian Dunning @BrianDunning]

Happy Exploding Whale Day to all who celebrate.

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

Great primer on icing

[KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler @MCCCANM]

Let’s do a primer on in-flight ice accumulation, or “icing” for those not familiar.

As you go up in altitude, the temperature & pressure decrease. It’s about 2°C per 1,000’, called the “standard lapse rate”. It varies locally, but we use this as our standard.

So, even on a hot day on the surface at 90°F (32°C), you theoretically only need to climb 16,000’ to get to 32°F (0°C).

Because of the way air flows over the surfaces of an airplane at speed, the outside air temperature is not equal to the temperature of the air as it hits the wing & such. Friction & compression heats the air as it hits the airplane; we measure this & call it the “Total Air Temperature” (TAT). The faster you go, the higher the TAT.

Still, most jets can’t go fast enough at altitude to get the TAT above freezing. In fact, on the 737 at near max speed & a cruise altitude of 35,000’ or so, the TAT is still going to be around -40°C (it varies a lot, that’s just a guess).

Now, clouds are just visible moisture. We all know what happens to water at those temperatures. An airplane passing through a bunch of frozen water is going to collect ice on it.

There are different categories, types & intensities of icing. Structural icing is just the airplane flying through cold clouds; the ice collects on the airplane. It can be Rime icing, which is kind of milky in color & looks bubbly, Clear icing, which can be tough to see or a mix. In some rare scenarios, very large drops of water are supercooled & remain liquid until they contact the jet, then instantly freeze. While the other types of ice generally only collect on the leading edges of surfaces, supercooled drops may run back over more of the jet during the freeze.

That’s a big problem; usually only the leading edges of the surfaces like the wings & engines are protected from ice. The shiny parts on the front of airliner wings & around the engine intake are where hot air from the engines gets diverted to heat up that area & melt any ice…but if ice goes beyond that, there isn’t much you can do. Some airplanes have systems to prevent ice formation on the tail, too, but that’s usually electric pads & usually only shows up on T-tail jets.

Anyway, regardless of the type, you may get various intensities: trace, light, moderate or severe ice.

Induction icing occurs in the engines, as it sucks air in & changes the pressure. You can get induction icing without structural icing, but again, the area around the engine inlet is heated to prevent large chunks of ice from forming, breaking off & going through the engine.

We treat icing as a possibility anytime there is visible moisture (rain, snow, fog, clouds) and the temperature is 10°C or below. Yeah, you won’t get structural icing at 10°C, but you might get induction icing. In these conditions, the engine anti-ice is turned on, sending hot air around the leading edge of the engines.

The wing anti-ice is used a bit differently & the philosophy here varies widely by airline. I’ve always used it not as an anti-ice, preventing ice from forming like on engines, but as a de-ice…it’s not turned on until I see ice forming. Other airlines have different philosophies.

I turn it on, melt the ice, then turn it off. Now, we can’t see the wings well, so on the 737 we use the windscreen wipers as a proxy for the wings. If the large nut on the wiper arm has collected ice, I assume the wings have, too (the windscreens are electrically heated, but it’s not unusual to go through moderate or severe icing & collect some ice around the edges of the windscreen).

If you recall, I said the tail often doesn’t have an ice system, and that’s true of the 737. That may sound scary, but it’s not something I’m worried about. If we turn on the wing anti-ice during a flight, the computer assumes the tail may have ice on it & it bumps our approach speed up to give the tail extra air to manipulate. It’s basically an ICE additive to our final approach speed.

I hope that helps, I’m out of space.

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

There was nothing better than after a full day of family activities on a Saturday to have Hawaii Football start at 10:00 when everyone else was sleeping or winding down. So many fun games. Such great memories

[Hawaii Football @HawaiiFootball]

He made a whole state believe in his vision, then brought it to fruition.

Mahalo for the memories, Coach Jones.

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

@MuseumCommodore Sad day. It was Ken Balthaser who stood before the entire company meeting in Redwood City and said "Epyx as you know it ceases to exist. This is your formal two weeks notice." The twenty who stayed on were told in advance what was happening, but we still had to go to the meeting

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

Such an inspirational project. Can you imagine seeing the statue of Prometheus and a Starship launch. What a trip that would be. Once in a lifetime type

[Atelier Missor @AtelierMissor_]

The statue of Prometheus is finally finished.

It was cast in Paris, crossed the Atlantic, and was assembled at Starbase. It took us 100 days to go from nothing to this.

People of the West, we have lived through an era devoid of dreams, devoid of destiny.

But the time has come to reclaim our dream of antiquity.

In a few months, we will start building a new city. It will be the most magnificent city in all of history.

After all, the great dream of the West has always been to rebuild Rome.

Come walk beside us in this endeavor. The world is waiting.

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

I can international rule of dibs #GoHabsGo number 25 incoming

[The Stanley Cup @StanleyCup]

134, flirty, and thriving

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

@ZachCav @SportingTrib I hate the center top placement. Considering all of the displays are digital, why is there still the concept of a safe zone? Analog SD yes, but digital - why is it 5% off the top of the screen?

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

Somebody is ready for Halloween

[Spittin' Chiclets @spittinchiclets]

6 more days until the NHL season.

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

This is the best. True emotion

[Minnesota Wild @minnesotawild]

our newest season ticket member

you could be next » https://t.co/YdVGVsKsxh

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

@TodayinHistory The Sorcerer's Stone?

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

Current 9 and future 10. Yes I would say the window is open for the @CanadiensMTL

[Scott Wheeler @scottcwheeler]

🆕 at @TheAthletic: The Contention Cycle.

Combining Player Tiers and Prospect Tiers to model where teams are and where they’re going.

With @domluszczyszyn (unlocked): https://t.co/tLg1Jjg4mL

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

@CanadiensMTL This makes my day! Such good news. I feel like we are all invested in seeing Arber succeed

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

The smile of acknowledgment is the best. Breaking the 4th wall

[Red Sox @RedSox]

Please enjoy every pitch of Payton Tolle's immaculate inning.

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

@MuseumCommodore DataSoft and Epyx for the win

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

@CharlesHawn66 @Retrojournal_de Epyx's Winter Games - nice!

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

Are @NoahEagle15 and @LukeKuechly at the game. It sounds like they’re in a studio. Might be the mix. I don’t hear much of the fans #49ers

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

My @netflix feed of the SF vs Rams audio seems to be off by a frame. Hard to watch, and what is with the gloves on the host - trying way too hard. She made an impression just not a good one

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

This is fantastic

[Navy Athletics @NavyAthletics]

It’s game time!!

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

@AnaheimDucks Sweet

[Ron Fortier @RonFortier]

@mamboitaliano__ What city is this? Exactly what I want - sun and beach, but able to hide from the sun so I don’t turn into a lobster