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Show Beating Old Man Weather j For U. S. Pilots and Passengers In this condensed form, the report re-port means little to the untrained reader, but to the weather man or pilot, it is a perfect description of conditions at the sending station. The "WC" at the beginning of the report represents the station which makes and sends the report. The W and C being the first and middle letters in Waco. The following "X" indicates that the airport is closed; no landings or takeoffs are allowed on the field because of bad weather at the time of the report which is also given: "10:30 o'clock Central War Time." Ceiling Zero, one-fourth mile visibility visi-bility with fog is all summed up in the figures "O'AF." If the ceiling is high it may be only estimated, or it may be measured accurately by means of helium-inflated balloons in the daytime or by means of a clinometer clin-ometer and spotlight at night. Not only do the figures and letters in the report reveal facts to the weather man, but their absence may also indicate certain conditions. For example, the absence of a figure for visibility would indicate that the visibility is a minimum of 10 miles. Visibility is determined by actual observation of known landmarks from the station tower and is measured meas-ured in a horizontal direction only. The barometric pressure is also given giv-en in the report along with the temperature tem-perature and dew point which is determined de-termined by an instrument called a psychrometer. Knowing the temperature temper-ature and dew point, a pilot can estimate es-timate the possibility of encountering fog one of the greatest hazards to flying. Wind direction is indicated in the report by an arrow followed by a figure giving the velocity of the wind. This information is obtained by means of an anamometer, which registers the surface wind, and by means of a theodolite and balloons which are used to test the winds at higher altitudes. Weather Conditions Noted Throughout Entire Flight BLACKLAND ARMY FLYING SCHOOL, WACO, TEXAS. Weather, Weath-er, probably the most dangerous single sin-gle element to flying, is rapidly being be-ing licked for American pilots and passengers by a relatively few highly high-ly trained civilians and soldiers. No longer is it necessary for a pilot to go out, glance at the clouds, sniff the wind and risk his life on his prophecy. Now, when Lieut. John Smith walks into operations to request re-quest a plane for a cross country flight, he submits his flight plan to the weather officer and it is returned re-turned with the present weather conditions con-ditions noted all the way to his destination. des-tination. If conditions warrant it, the weather office can alter the i course, stop him at any place on his route or, if necessary, hold him to the ground right at his home station even if the skies 1 may be blue, the ceiling and visibility vis-ibility unlimited. At Blackland Army Flying school near Waco, Texas, the regular army air forces weather station is supplemented supple-mented by the U. S. weather bureau and the latest and most complete returns are available to the pilot at all hours of the day and night. When Lieutenant Smith's request is handed to the weather office, the flight plan is superimposed on a weather map of the country. The course may show clear to Dallas but perhaps when the line moves up toward to-ward Tulsa, a star-shaped symbol to the left of the station mark means snow. And snowy weather is no weather for airplanes. If a check of last minute weather reports which have not been in long enough to be placed on the map shows it's still snowing there, the weather office clears Lieutenant Smith only to Dallas. There he will await clear weather and resume a course made safe by a man several hundred miles south of the snow storm. But it isn't just that man. It is j the combined reports of thousands of such stations operating 24 hours 1 every day in the year all over the country. Continuously throughout the day i ' and night reports are received on j the teletype machines in the air- ! 'ways communications office and are ' passed on to the weather bureau. 'The two offices, are located side by .side in the same building at Black-land, Black-land, and their work is closely co- ordinated. j , The weather station at Blackland I recently moved from Rich Field, ! Waco's municipal airport, and is , one of the few civilian-operated weather bureaus located on an army ' , post. Each hour the weather bureau makes a local weather report and .. i files it with the airways communi cations office to be teletyped to all other stations. A typical report reads something like this: WC X 1030C 0y4F 1426565 - 3 998 F INCRSD LAST HR 1 |