“OVERCOATS” for military aircraft, tires with “chains” built into the rubber, and bombing planes on skis are some of the sights you would see on a visit to the new $7,000,000 test station for the Army Air Corps at Fairbanks, Alaska. Here Uncle Sam’s “aerial Eskimos” will conduct important tests of military aircraft in temperatures of fifty degrees below zero, perhaps even lower. Results of the tests may be expected to enable the Air Corps to function under the most severe winter conditions. One of the major problems to be studied is how to combat the formation of ice on planes in flight. The danger arises partly from the increased weight, but more particularly from the deformation of aerodynamic shapes, resultingin decreased lift, increased drag, excessive vibration and loss of control. Wings, wires and struts are the| parts most affected. A study of the varjous physical and chemical properties of water as a solid, liquid and vapor, with special reference to atmospheric conditions, will be made in interpreting phenomena of ice formation. “A definite solution can be expected only after the most thorough study and the most complete tests have been made. Up to now no sure-fire preventive has been developed. Of course planes are equipped with. windshield wipers and some have certain types of ice removers. One type, known as an “overshoe,” is laced over the leading edge of the wing. It consists mainly of rubber, impregnated with a special oil which reduces the adhesion between the ice and the rubber. Within the shoe are air ducts to which a pulsating air pressure is applied, alternately inflating and deflating the shoe, thus causing the ice to break off as it forms. The aircraft overcoats consist of fabric coverings for planes standing in the open. These coverings protect the motor and other parts from severe cold and are used where hangars are not available. In the latest experimental idea for insuring safe landings and takeoffs in snow and on ice, tiny strips of steel are incorporated into the airplane tires, giving an exceptional grip such as that imparted to the automobile tire by chains. Skis also are used successfully on the big bombers for landing and taking off. Establishment of weather stations is another way in which flying of military aircraft may be made easier. The weather stations will keep Air Corps pilots in constant touch with changing meteorological conditions, thus enabling them to avoid areas where there is danger of ice formation. Still another aid is found in big snowplows which will keep the flying fields clear for the Air Corps so that flights may be conducted throughout the winter.