Definition
A smooth, clear, hard coating of ice that forms on an aircraft surface when supercooled liquid water droplets strike it and freeze slowly enough to spread out before solidifying. Glaze ice is dense, heavy, transparent, and tightly bonded to the airframe, making it the most dangerous form of structural icing.
Plain English
A layer of clear, glassy ice that builds up on the aircraft when rain or cloud droplets hit it and freeze. It looks like the shiny ice you see on a frozen puddle, and it sticks hard to wings and other surfaces.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft icing discussions, preflight weather decisions, and in-flight reports of ice on wings, windshields, antennas, or other exposed surfaces.
Derivation
From the Old English 'glaes' (glass), reflecting the ice's clear, glass-like appearance. The word is used because glaze ice is transparent and smooth, much like a glazed window.
Why Pilots Care
Glaze ice is hard to remove and changes the wing shape, sharply reducing lift while increasing drag and weight.
Analogy
Glaze ice is like the clear ice that can coat a sidewalk after freezing rain. It may look smooth and thin, but it can be hard, heavy, and very slippery.
Grounding Statement
Picture freezing rain hitting a windshield and forming a clear, hard sheet of ice -- the same thing happens to the wing.
Intuition Check
Glaze does not mean a harmless shiny coating here. In aviation, it means a real ice buildup on the aircraft that can affect performance and control.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot exited the freezing rain quickly after noticing glaze forming on the leading edge of the wing.
Example Sentence 2
Preflight inspection found glaze ice coating the leading edges after flying through freezing rain.