FOG PROBLEM IS GREATEST MENACE TO FLYING MEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18785, 14 June 1929, Page 10

FOG PROBLEM IS GREATEST MENACE TO FLYING MEN.

(Special to the “Star.’) WELLINGTON, June 14. A journey from England to New Zealand occupying a fortnight! This will be possible before very long, if experiments at present being carried out with airships in England are successful, according to Dr E. Kidson, Government Meteorologist, in an address given to members of the Lyceum Club. The. speaker dealt with the manner in which meteorological conditions affected aircraft, and the measures taken to counteract those influences. He illustrated technical points with lantern slides. He touched on some of the difficulties encountered by SquadronLeader Kingsford-Smith and party in their two flights across the Tasman, chief of which were wind, air “pockets” —which were really not vacuum but downward draughts of air—hail and ice. When regular air services were established between Australia and New Zealand, ’planes to New Zealand would have to fly low and those to Australia fly high, in order to counteract the effect of the wind. Flights from the North Island to the South Island would be endangered by broad masses of low clouds, to dive through which might result in a ’plane crashing, on a hillside. The fog problem, which was the greatest of all for airmen, was at present being investigated. Possibly the solution would be for the airman to surrender himself to wireless direction and control.

Proceeding, the speaker said meteorology assisted aircraft by advice on flying conditions, and the reporting and forecasting required if regular air services were to be carried on. In order to cater for the airman the meteorologist required such more data than for ordinary meteorological purposes. In Great Britain air charts were prepared every three hours, while anything that was likely to prove dangerous was reported hourly between hourly observations. Once in the air an airman could be advised of a pending change in the weather by means of wireless telephony. Dr Kidson dealt also with air services in other countries, and mentioned that the service in Australia was one of the most satisfactory in the world, whileaccidents were practically negligible.