If you've ever sat on a runway watching your plane being de-iced, you might have wondered whether there was a better way.

Cliff Atkins did, and it led him to start a company.

A corporate pilot, Atkins, 31, devised a covering called JetSocks that can be attached to the wings and tail to keep off frost, allowing a plane to get in the air safely without the need for de-icing.

JetSocks, he said, will cost less than de-icing fluid and take a trained, two-person crew only 20 minutes to apply and less to remove, trimming expenses and increasing efficiency.

The wing coverings also have no environmental impact, unlike chemical-based de-icing fluid.

Atkins and co-founder Damon Borozny, 31, haven't gotten Atlanta-based JetSocks in the air yet, however. They've got prototypes but no customers, despite pitches to regional airlines.

Atkins said it's important to "get some product into the field." That is, on planes, where potential customers can see the effectiveness of JetSocks.