16-April-2020

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April 14, 2020
Subject: COVID-19 impacts on 2020-21 Holdover Time Guidelines and related activities.
Dear SAE G-12 Holdover Time Committee Members,
The purpose of our communication today is to provide you with a summary of issues resultant from the COVID-19 pandemic and what steps Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) and the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) are taking to see through the publication of the 2020-21 Holdover Time (HOT) Guidelines.
Current Status of Test Facilities as of April 14, 2020
The Anti-icing Materials International Laboratory (AMIL) of the Université du Québec at Chicoutimi (UQAC) is closed as are most public institutions in Canada. No date has been determined as to when AMIL will reopen. The facility closure has and will continue to delay activities related to fluid qualification and requalification, as prescribed in SAE Aerospace Material Specification (AMS) 1424 and 1428, and Aerospace Standard (AS) 5900 and 5901.
We recognize that fluid manufacturer facilities may also be closed and therefore delays in providing samples for qualification/requalification are possible as well.
Additionally, the National Research Council’s (NRC) Climatic testing and research facility in Ottawa, Canada is operating under strict guidelines with limited access and reduced capacity. The test facility is contracted by TCCA and the FAA to accommodate the endurance time testing for new fluids in simulated freezing precipitation conditions (e.g. freezing fog, freezing rain and freezing drizzle), as
established in Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) 5945. The NRC is continuously assessing the situation, no date has been established as to when the Climatic facility will resume full operation. The facility’s closure access restrictions may have significant impacts on new fluids requiring complete
endurance time data sets.
Current Status of Ground Icing Research Team as of April 14, 2020 APS Aviation (APS) is contracted by TCCA, in partnership with the FAA to carry out ground icing research activities, including endurance time testing of fluids and the development of the HOT Guidelines. In early March, TCCA and the FAA directed APS to modify testing and work plans due to numerous COVID-19 related health and safety prohibitions, in addition to those required by provincial and federal
governments. Although some activities are still proceeding, activities critical to holdover time development were suspended, including very cold snow (VCS) testing.
SAE Activity
The SAE G-12 Fluids Committee Co-chairs have recommended to TCCA and the FAA to accept a postponement of the requalification due date for fluids whose requalification is due for the 2020-21 Edition of the TCCA and FAA HOT Guidelines no later than June 1, 2021. TCCA and FAA supported this
recommendation and communicated details of the decision in a letter to fluid manufacturers the week of April 4, 2020.

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Next Steps for TCCA and the FAA
Given that TCCA and the FAA do not know how long closures will persist and what policies/directives will be issued to continue mitigating the impacts of COVID-19, TCCA and the FAA have adopted the following time line:
• It is the intention of TCCA and FAA to publish the 2020-21 HOT Guidelines and
related guidance material on August 7, 2020. Please note the following:
1. If activities related to endurance time testing of new fluids cannot resume in a timely manner (outcome to be communicated by June 1st, 2020), TCCA and the FAA will not publish their new tables in the 2020-21 HOT Guidelines. The inclusion of these new fluids will be delayed until the 2021-22 HOT Guidelines publication assuming testing has resumed and is completed.
2. Fluids scheduled to have obtained VCS data will retain their existing VCS holdover times from 2019-20 and be updated for the 2021-22 HOT Guidelines, and until outdoor testing resumes as permitted by provincial and federal authorities
3. Expiring fluids that require requalification will continue to appear in the 2020-21 Holdover Time Guidelines. They will be listed with a note indicating that the fluid is in the re-test process, or with a note indicating to contact the manufacturer for requalification information.
• TC and FAA intend to keep the industry informed as to expected outcomes. We will update you by June 1st, 2020 indicating our path forward.
• AMIL intends to advise TCCA and the FAA when the test facility returns to operations. Please be advised that priority will be given to fluid qualification/requalification activities ahead of fluid research-based assessments.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the interdependence between various G-12 members, including industry and regulators that lead up to the publication of the annual HOT Guidelines, and opportunities to collaborate through innovative means. It is clear that we all remain dedicated to ensuring safety and continuity in aircraft operations worldwide despite current challenges.
You are welcome to communicate with TCCA and FAA should you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Yvan Chabot
Transport Canada Civil Aviation
yvan.chabot@tc.gc.ca
cc: Warren Underwood, FAA
Antoine Lacroix, TC
Alberto Fernandez-Lopez, EASA
Jacques Leroux, Dow Chemical , SAE G-12 Chair
Nicole Mattern, SAE G-12 Liaison
Marc-Mario Tremblay, AMIL
Medhat Hanna, NRC

07-April-2020

1
April 7, 2020
Subject: Fluid requalification delays resulting from COVID-19-related closures
Dear fluid manufacturers,
As we go through the COVID-19 situation we recognize that there will be significant delays in the overall process to requalify your aircraft deicing/anti-icing fluids and therefore you will not be able to comply with the requalification requirements of SAE AMS1424 and SAE AMS1428.
Current Status of AMIL Test Facility and Fluid Manufacturer Facilities
The Anti-icing Materials International Laboratory (AMIL) of the Université du Québec at Chicoutimi (UQAC) is closed as are most public institutions in Canada. However, the UQAC shipping and receiving operations remain active. No date has been determined as to when AMIL will reopen.
AMIL intends to advise TCCA and the FAA when the test facility returns to operations. Please be advised that priority will be given to fluid qualification/requalification activities ahead of fluid research-based
assessments.
Additionally, we recognize that fluid manufacturer facilities may be closed therefore limiting your ability to provide fluid samples to AMIL for requalification.
SAE Activity
The SAE G-12 Fluids Committee Co-chairs have recommended to Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to accept a postponement of the requalification due date for fluids whose requalification is due for the 2020-21 Edition of the TCCA and FAA Holdover Time
Guidelines no later than June 1, 2021.
Regulator Position
For fluids that are required to be requalified in advance of the publication of the 2020-21 Edition of the TCCA and FAA Holdover Time Guidelines, TCCA and the FAA will accept postponement to requalify these fluids to no later than June 1, 2021. This is conditional that the fluid manufacturer provides evidence to
TCCA and the FAA prior to the publication that the requalification sample has been sent, or will be sent, to AMIL for requalification, examples of evidence may include:
• Confirmation e-mail from Fluid Manufacturer
• Waybill
• Shipment Order / Invoice
These expiring fluids that require requalification will continue to appear in the 2020-21 Edition of the TCCA and FAA Holdover Time Guidelines. They will be listed with a note indicating that the fluid is in the re-test process, or with a note indicating to contact the manufacturer for requalification information for
those fluids that may be prohibited to provide evidence.