Definition
External aircraft antennas designed and certified to continue functioning correctly when coated with ice, so that radio communication and navigation signals are not lost during flight in icing conditions.
Plain English
Antennas built to keep working even when ice forms on them, so the radios and navigation gear stay reliable in icing weather.
Context Anchor
Seen in anti-icing and deicing system discussions, especially when describing aircraft parts that may not be heated but are designed to keep working in icing conditions.
Derivation
Tolerant' comes from the Latin tolerare, meaning to bear or endure. An ice tolerant antenna is one that can endure ice buildup without failing.
Why Pilots Care
Ensures continued radio communications and navigation capability when flying through icing conditions.
Intuition Check
Ice tolerant does not mean ice-proof. It means the antenna is designed to keep working with some ice, within limits.
Example Sentence 1
Aircraft certified for flight into known icing are typically equipped with ice tolerant antennas so radio and navigation signals remain usable when ice accumulates.
Example Sentence 2
Even with light rime ice on the vertical stabilizer, the ice tolerant antennas continued to provide clear ATC communications.