Definition
A small light mounted on the side of the fuselage that illuminates the leading edges of the wings and engine inlets at night, allowing the pilot to visually check for ice accumulation on those surfaces in flight.
Plain English
A light on the side of the airplane that shines on the wings at night so the pilot can see if ice is forming on them.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter ice lights in aircraft equipped for flight in cold, moist conditions, usually as part of the anti-icing or deicing equipment discussion.
Why Pilots Care
Enables timely detection of ice at night so the pilot can activate deicing systems or exit icing conditions before performance or control is lost.
Intuition Check
An ice light does not melt or remove ice. It only helps the pilot see ice on the airplane.
Example Sentence 1
After climbing into the clouds at night, the pilot switched on the ice light and saw a thin rime of ice forming on the wing leading edge.
Example Sentence 2
During the descent, the crew used the ice light to confirm the tail surfaces remained clear before continuing into known icing conditions.