FLYING ABOVE CLOUDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23332, 26 October 1937, Page 14

FLYING ABOVE CLOUDS

WEATHER SERVICE EXPANSION A rapid expansion of the meteorological services required by the Royal Air Force and civil aviation has been undertaken by the Meteorological Office in Great Britain. This has entailed the training of a large number of meteorological personnel. With this increased demand a change in the character of the information required is taking place “ The amount of flying in and through clouds," it is stated, “is increasing both by civil pilots—who now rapidly climb through clouds and, if possible, fly above them—and by pilots of the Royal Air Force ’ “ This has raised new meteorological problems, since it is impossible to navigate in and above clouds without detailed information of the winds likely to be met with. Moreover, the probability of meeting ice-forming conditions within the clouds themselves has to be estimated. All this demands a much higher degree of skill on the part of the meteoroloical personnel.” To meet these requirements a scheme has been prepared based on an arrangement of meteorological stations in groups consisting of main stations and dependent stations, the former having a day and night staff of forecasters. No distinction will be made in this scheme between civil and military aerodromes. Arrangements are, being made for forecasts containing information regarding the height at which conditions are most favourable for ice

accretion, and the two heights above and below where danger does not exist. Investigation of the upper atmosphere has been continued at Kew Observatory An empty vessel is sent up on a balloon. At a predetermined height the vessel is opened and closed automatically. When the ballopn bursts the apparatus falls on a parachute. Seventy trial ascents have been tnade during the year, and these have yielded about 40 samples of air for analysis. The ultimate aim is to measure the amount of water in the stratosphere. Six soundings which gave five samples of air from heights between 17 kilometres and 23 kilometres have been analysed regarding the distribution of helium in the upper atmosphere, and have yielded _important results. Of other soundings the best was at a height of 254 kilometres with a small balloon.