How do planes not get covered in frost while flying at such high altitudes
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Because they are the same temperature as the air around them. The temperature at which water vapor condenses into water is the dew point; if the ambient temperature is lower than the dew point then you’ve got fog, or at high altitudes it’s called a cloud. Planes can get a dangerous build up of ice on them and pilots are alerted when icing conditions exist; most large planes have anti-icing systems that prevent ice from building up in critical areas like engine intakes and the leading edges of the wings. Some systems use bleed air from jet engines, that is air that has been compressed by the engine right before it gets introduced to the jet fuel, and pipes the hit air under certain areas like the engine intakes and the leading edge of the wings. Smaller planes sometimes have tiny holes on these critical areas that weep out de-icing fluid held in a reservoir and pumped out during icing conditions.
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