NEXT JANUARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 225, 23 September 1938, Page 8

NEXT JANUARY.

TASMAN FLIGHTS.

SYDNEY TO AUCKLAND

OCEAN SURVEY TO BEGIN.

OBSERVATIONS ON STEAMER.

A most important step tow amis the establishment- of a trans-Tasm«n air service in the coming" summer is the decision of the New Zealand and Australian Governments to station a meteorological observer on one of the intercolonial passenger liners to make a detailed study of ocean weather conditions. "A travelling observatory on a tran-s-Tasman steamer will be inaugurated in about two months," say a Press Association cable from Melbourne. "With special equipment, tne officer in charge will obtain data for weather foreacsts for the Sydney-Auckland flying boat service, which will begin in January. His task will also be ta estimate wind velocities at various heights." The announcement confirms earlier statements that the new service to link Australia and New Zealand, and to complete the Empire air mail system, will be in operation early in the New Year. It is expected that the observations will be in progress for nearly two months before the service is commenced. "Ocean surveys are essential if exact information of.Tasman conditions is to be obtained," said an Auckland meteorological expert this mornin<r. "It is the only way of finding out the movements of the winds and the peculiarities of Tamilian weather. At present very little is known of conditions in this part of the Pacific." I Use of Small Balloons. The matter was discussed at the international meteorological conference Iwld in Wellington at the befrinninjr of December last, and on December 27 Mr.

\! P. Entwliistle, British Air Ministry [ (expert and adviser 011 meteorological . developments, stated during a brief visit | to .Auckland that small balloons would ,! be freely use<l in the survey work pro--1 : posed to be carried out over the Tas- ■ man. He indicated that special officials , trained for the work of investigation »I would join the Awatea and file Wanjraj nella to make regular upper air ol>servaI ! tion*. It would be their duty to deter- , j mine the strength and direction of the j wind at different heights by the movements of pilot balloons and to compile detailed charts. Comparing this task with that of charting the North Atlantic for flyin" pui poses, he said that one advantage enjoyed by investigators on the Taxman was that tliwe were fewer clouds than over the North Atlantic, and therefore it would l»e possible to carry the tests to a greater height. A normal height of fiOOOft should be attained without difficulty on the Tasman. This would make the results more complete jthan those obtained by balloons on the I Atlantic, and less reliance would have I to be placed upon calculations of air density at the sea level, which was one of the indirect methods relied upon | v> here clouds interfered with the tests. "Great Deal to be Learned." "There is a great deal to be learned about the meteorology of the Tasman as of the Xorth Atlantic," he said, "and [ the observations will htfve to be continupd while the air service is boing established. It is essential on ocean routes to be able to forecast for the period of a flight what kind of conditions are likely to be met with at various stages. A graded picture of the weather is what the ocean pilot requires and one purpose of the investigations' will piobably be to determine how this can best be provided. It is necessarv that trans-ocean machines should be guided to take advantage of favourable winds and to circumnavigate storms " During the past 18 months a Government meteorological office has been stationed at Hobsonvill e Air Base to record local conditions and compile daily weather charts. A Pan-American Anwavs official is also engaged on a sinnlar task, and it is expected that a floating observatory" will maintain close contact with these shore station* at Auckland in order to assist in local forecasts. The information gained on the Tasman, it is stated, should also be \aluable to Pan-American Airwavs when the large machines now being tested for the trans-Pacific service are in regular running. e"" 11