§ Mr. Malcolm MacMillanasked the Secretary of State for Air whether the paste used on the wings of aeroplanes to prevent ice accretion is satisfactory at high altitudes; whether it is suitable for military machines; and whether he will make a statement on the most recent experiments?
§ Sir K. WoodPaste has been extensively used on civil aircraft to prevent ice accretion, and there is no reason to suppose that it is affected by altitude or will be less satisfactory for military aircraft. In order, however, to provide direct experience of this method of protection against the accretion of ice, large quantities of paste have been ordered for trial by the Royal Air Force during the coming winter, while experiments on new compounds will continue at experimental establishments. In addition, experiments will also be undertaken with the two other methods of preventing or removing the accretion of ice to which I referred in the reply I gave on the 3oth November to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud.