Can you dispatch a flight into icing?

• A. No, icing is never allowed.
• B. Yes, including Severe.
• C. Yes, but never Severe.
• D. Only if weather is clear otherwise.

Answer: (C)

Ice buildup can seriously affect aircraft performance and controllability, so the decision to dispatch involves weighing how bad the icing could be. In practice, you’re allowed to dispatch into icing if it’s forecast to be light to moderate and the aircraft, its ice protection systems, and the flight plan can handle it, with proper weather briefings and route/altitude adjustments. But severe icing is not something you plan for or permit, because it can lead to rapid and dangerous decreases in performance and control.

So the best choice reflects this balance: you can dispatch into icing, but never into severe icing. The other options are too absolute or illogical: icing isn’t categorically disallowed, and you wouldn’t base a dispatch on “weather is clear otherwise” when icing is present; nor would you include severe icing as acceptable.