Thursday was a very busy day for United’s de-icing crews at O’Hare International Airport.
The airline gave the Tribune a chance to watch the crews de-ice plane after plane when the snowstorm hit.
Some crews use an Elephant truck, which has a telescopic spray boom resembling an elephant trunk to spray de-icing chemicals on the planes. One operator said being in the warm cab and using the modern de-icer is like playing a video game. But it takes a choreographed crew to pull off the job. “The teamwork is unbelievable,” a manager says.
Get more information on the procedure in a detailed graphic and an upclose report about the chemicals that ensure safety but smell like syrup.
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News Focus, PAGE 4
On the air
Television: See Judy Wang’s report on de-icing Friday on “WGN9 Morning News.”
Radio: Get the latest on your commute: Traffic and weather on WGN Radio 720.
