Transport: De-ice Device

Up from the private landing field of Douglas Aircraft Co. at Santa Monica, Calif, last week climbed a standard Douglas DC2 transport with a few subtle changes in wing design. When it landed again after buzzing back & forth over the Tehachapi Mountains for several hours, Douglas officials revealed that they had devised a satisfactory way to prevent the unique icing of ailerons which caused the crash of a Transcontinental & Western Air Douglas DC2 fortnight ago near Pittsburgh (TIME, April 5). Chief Engineer Arthur E. Raymond merely added a few inches to the underside of the wing in front of the slot where the ailerons hinge on. This reduces the flow of air through the slot, thus reduces the ability of ice to form at this crucial point. Simultaneously Douglas revealed that the DC2 is the only important U. S. transport requiring this change in design. Boeing 247-Ds, Lockheed Electras, Douglas DC-3s all have aileron designs not susceptible to ice.