FLYING WEATHER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 79, 13 January 1945, Page 3

FLYING WEATHER.

TESTS BY ROYAL AIR FORCE. LONDON, Jan. 11. Every hour of the clay two _ Mosquitoes and their crews are waiting at a Royal Air Force Bomber Command station ready to take off to anywheie from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean, even in weather when no other aircraft, will be flying. These aircraft belong to the meteorological flight and are manned by a small body of the most experienced airmen in the Royal Air Force. For three years they have flown over Germany before every major attack by Bomber Command, and until recently before every United States Army Air Force attack as well. They are men who challenge the weather at its worst. If they see icing cloud which any other pilot would avoid, they go out of their way to fly through it. They are prepared to break cloud at a height of a few feet above Germany and fly the rest of the way home at treetop height, or make blind landings in the fog or with cloud almost down to the surface of the airfield.

It is their tradition that they never refuse a flight. It was recently found that the average number of operational flights by each member was 87 and that the flight had won as many awards as there were men in it. When the King flew to Tfaly in a Mosquito this flight went ahead to keep watch on the weather. Mosquitoes of this flight have also been detailed to go ahead of Mr Churchill. These aircraft carry several cameras and the crews photograph not only the weather but anything in enemy country that may be valuable to the intelligence sections of the Rojal Air Force. A photograph taken from an aircraft of this section, for example led to the attack a short time afterwards on the V weapon research station at Peenemunde. . The United States Bth Air Force now has its own meteorological flight of Mosquitoes. Before it was formed last summer American airmen woilced with the Royal Air Forbe Bomber Command meteorological flight 101 a short time to obtain the. benefits of their experience. British Official Wireless.