However, use of this type equipment may not be good for small airplanes. They operate under high pressures and high temperatures which could damage small planes. Some airports have a central deicing location at the departure end of a runway. The advantages of this arrangement are that it provides an excellent place for conducting the pretakeoff contamination check, and it reduce the time between deicing and takeoff. The anti-ice, protective coating delays the reformation of ice, snow, or frost.
Ice is slow to absorb it or to melt when in contact with it.
Heating the FPD fluid helps the process, but as the ice, etc., melts, it dilutes the FPD fluid, which then begins to run off. If all the ice has not melted, the aircraft may need additional applications of FPD fluid until it is totally free of frozen contamination. When all the ice has melted, the liquid residue is a mixture of water and FPD fluid, which can refreeze with only a slight tempeature decrease. There are many different types of FPD fluids manufacturered in North America and Europe. Traditional North American Fluids FPD fluids used in North America are usually composed of ethylene or propylene glycol in combination with water and other ingredients.