This invited paper will reflect on some of the advances made in the last decade by the author and his research groups in the application of modern CFD methods to the simulation of inflight icing problems. It will show how such advances signal an inexorable march towards a virtual certification methodology for all types of aircraft, and simultaneously reduce the likelihood of ice-induced hazardous events in operation. While dry and icing (wet) tunnel testing and flight testing with artificial ice shapes and in natural icing conditions will always remain a necessity, the availability of advanced simulation tools will speed up the certification process and increase safety by permitting aerodynamicists to examine and anticipate inflight icing scenarios and situations that either cannot be tested, are too dangerous or difficult to verify through natural flights, or may have been overlooked or rejected.
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