Definition
An aircraft windscreen built with an internal electrical heating element or heated airflow system that warms the glass to prevent ice, frost, or fog from forming on it during flight.
Plain English
A cockpit windshield that warms itself so ice and frost cannot stick to it and the pilot can keep seeing out clearly.
Context Anchor
Seen in windscreen anti-ice discussions and in aircraft checklists or switch panels for windshield heat.
Why Pilots Care
Ice on the windshield can quickly block forward visibility, making takeoff, landing, and instrument flight unsafe or impossible.
Analogy
Like the rear-window defroster in a car, where thin heating elements warm the glass to clear frost, except built into the front windshield of the aircraft.
Intuition Check
Do not assume this means cabin heat blowing warm air at the windshield. In this context, the windscreen itself is heated, usually by electrical elements built into the panel.
Example Sentence 1
Before entering icing conditions, the pilot turned on the heated windscreen to keep the forward view clear.
Example Sentence 2
During the preflight inspection the crew verified that the heated windscreen drew the correct amperage on both sides.