"BUOYING" THE CLOUDS

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 93, 22 April 1919, Page 2

"BUOYING" THE CLOUDS

AERIAL POST SIGNALS,

i The Royal Air Force, which, has contributed so much to the winning of the war, has been engaged on various schemes which will pave the way to British ascendency in. peace-time flying. For some-considerable time past local military mail services in France have been successfully run by the force. Letters have been delivered regularly between Marquise and Valenciennes, Valenciennes and Namur, Valenciennes and Spa, the headquarters of the Armistice Commission, I and on other routes. From 17th Decem--1 ber up to 25th January there were only five days on which no local services were rim. This scheme has boen suspended by a more elaborate one, embracing a long-distance service from Marquise (near Boulogne) right through to Cologne, as well as an extended series of local services. The through service to Cologne, quite apart from mileage, presents pecui liar difficulties not met with on the ' frontier routes. Between the flat coun- ' try. of North France and the valley of I the Rhine there lies a range of hills," rising in places to a height of 2000 ft. Not only is this stretch of country without many places suitable for landing in the event of emergency, but clouds and bad weather invariably collect round this massif. ' Handley Page machines have been used on this route, but are now being replaced by D.H.G.A.'s, which are faster machine?.

A chain of wireless stations ha-s been ■ organised for the transmission of weather reports. In the event of a- forced landing the- pilot transmits his location to the nearest wireless station. The message is then passed on by wireless or telephone to the nearest Royal Air Force or Army unit, and transport is immediately despatched to' pick up the mails and to render assistance. In the event of a pilot losing his way by reason of ; clouds or other difficulties, arrangements j are being made whereby he will be able to get into touch with a wireless directional finding station, whence he will receive details as to his actual bearings. These stations will also direct pilots to the nearest landing ground in bad weaj ther and guide him during night flying. i In connection with this service a chain of balloon sections has been arranged. Each section is to maintain a balloon in tne air during daylight.- Later on these balloons will probably be fitted for carrying signal lights and remaining aloft by ; night ;ilso. These balloons serve several purposes. . -1. To provide "air buoys" above tha clouds to mark the landing grounds. Each balloon is marked with signs which indicate its exact locality, and thus enable the pilots to check their bearings when weather is bad or clouds are very low. . r 2. To enable the balloon observers to ascertain the height and thickness of clo'r.ds ano* condition, of weather above the cloud layer. 3. To take the speed and direction of wind at the greatest possible altitude, and to' note changes of direction. These observations are then passed to the nearest wireless station for transmission. . . As the intention is to maintain a night service on this route, a chain of i lighthouses. has also been provided. ! Emergency landing grounds have been located at suitable points along the route in addition to the regular terminals. Telephonic communication is available at the emergency landing grounds, but, to meet the case of possible forced landings elsewhere, pigeons are carried on all the machines as an additional pre-. caution by which the pilot can immediately notify his position. . When the scheme is fully developed, the weather reports will be passed to the machines by .wireless, by ground signals, and by balloon signals, so-. that the pilot will know at eacli stage of his journey the conditions of the weathei ahead. It must be understood that this service is experimental, and owing to the nature of the country described above, and the time of year, in which, of course, the weather conditions are the worst possible, j the trial is a'very practical test, and I should provide valuable experience in meeting the difficulties likely to be encountered in oventual regular civil post services.