METEOROLOGICAL DATA

Southland Times, Issue 23393, 28 December 1937, Page 8

METEOROLOGICAL DATA

Use During Flights Of Aircraft WORK OF CONFERENCE IN WELLINGTON (Special to The Times) AUCKLAND, December 27. In the flights made to Auckland by the Pan-American Airways Samoa Clipper and also by the Centaurus, meteorological data and forecasts were available as a result of the organization prepared by the recent meteorological conference in Wellington, which was set up to deal with conditions in the southwestern Pacific. This information was given by Mr F. Entwhistle, of the British Air Ministry, who was a through passenger from Sydney in the Niagara. Mr Entwhistle was one of the overseas experts who attended the conference. Mr Entwhistle pointed out that the fundamental achievement of the conference was to reach an agreement ensuring a complete, radio and meteorological service over both the Tasman and the Pacific air routes, which was not possible with the previous organization. Such a service was available over the air routes to air machines of any nationality and, indeed, there was a reciprocal interchange of reports with other countries. An important feature upon which agreement was also made was to draw up a detailed organization for transoceanic flights. This involved not only the giving of meteorological information before a flight, but also an exchange of forecasts at the termini and the method and frequency of reports to aircraft while in flight. The-plan was based very largely on experience gained by Pan-American Airways and British Airways in the North Atlantic flights last summer. DIFFICULTY IN TASMAN One difficulty experienced was the small amount of shipping in the Tasman from which reports could be obtained, compared with the Atlantic. The meteorological services at Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands helped to bridge the gap, while some help was to be expected from the fact that there was generally a regular passenger steamer engaged in crossing the Tasman. No maximum help was, however, to be expected in the normal course from shipping on the Tasman. Discussing the development of the relationship between flying and meteorological services, Mr Entwhistle said that at one time a pilot on the LondonParis air route, for example, would not have left Croydon unless he was sure the weather was satisfactory over the entire route. Even if the weather in Paris were good but there was fog between the flight would be abandoned. With the development of blind flying the intermediate weather on the route was not so important as before. Primarily the pilot needed to be assured that at his destination the ceiling would not be too low to prevent a landing. It was, therefore, most necessary that correct and frequent forecasts should be provided of the weather at. landing points. Intermediate reports were less important, although consideration had to be given to possibility of weather being encountered that would cause ice to form on the aircraft, there being often a strong danger of this taking place in Europe at comparatively short hops and recent years had seen a complete reorganization from the radio and meteorological aspects. LONG-DISTANCE FLIGHTS

There seemed little chance of any outstanding developments in meteorology as applied to these services, except in technique. Special problems were, however, introduced by long-distance flights. Long-distance forecasting, as distinct from mere reporting, became of paramount importance. The future could be faced with equanimity, however. The success of the Pacific and Tasman flights suggested that these

routes would be considered very soon as a matter of mere routine flying. In discussing the New Zealand interisland trunk services, Mr Entwhistle said the conference in Wellington had arranged for more frequent weather reports from Australia, so that opportunity was being given for more accurate forecasting. It was realized by the conference that conditions were fairly difficult in New Zealand. Parts of Australia also were situated in temperate latitudes and like New Zealand were peculiarly subject to changes of weather. Nothing less than a meteorological organization as intense as in Europe was necessary for New Zealand and it should be regarded as the goal. “PART OF THE DAY’S WORK”

COMMERCIAL SERVICES ACROSS TASMAN (United Press Association) AUCKLAND, December 27. New Zealand has every reason to feel proud of the young New Zealander, Captain Burgess, who piloted the Centaurus across the Tasman on the final stage of her survey flight from England. In his response to the official welcome which was tendered to his crew at the waterfront and later in an interview Captain Burgess impressed as being a man of outstanding capacity and great personality. Comments on the flight from England, which were made by Captain Burgess were typical of the man himself. He regarded the whole programme as “part of the day’s work” and paid tributes to the mechanical efficiency of his craft, the expert assistance of his officers, and the cooperation received from commercial aviation interests all along the route. When it comes to commercial avia-

tion over long stretches of ocean Cap> tain Burgess has unbounded confidence in the future of flying-boats. The trip across the Tasman, he said, was sufficient to prove that this particular ocean crossing was well within the scope of commercial enterprise and he had no doubt that flying-boats immeasurably bigger than the Centaurus would in future drop down on the waters of the Waitemata harbour inperfect safety. “The trip from Sydney was absolutely uneventful.” said Captain Burgess. “We took off from Rose Bay at four o’clock in the morning. Coming into Auckland conditions were ideal. We had the sun on our beam and were nWe to make landfall only about four miles north of the Manuka u Heads. We expected to arrive at 3.30 o’clock but actually we we>-z> able to get in a few minutes earUor”