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Show AMERICA j IN ACTION j WEATHERMEN A line of planes stands purring at the edge of the field ready to take off on a mission. The altimeter in each plane is set from data on atmospheric pressure obtained by the station's weather observer. The planes take off. Their pilots are confident that at 10,000 feet they will find a favoring wind to speed them on their way. They know their objective ob-jective will be revealed to them clear in the sunlight and whether the trip will be rough or smooth, as far as air currents are concerned. In short they know the weather a vital factor in any air operation. In fact, weather may be the deciding de-ciding factor in air-war. To know the weather past, present, and future fu-ture is vital to every air commander's com-mander's estimate of the situation. For that reason, every active army air operation has its weatherman weather-man attached. Training these weather weath-er observers is one of the tasks of the army air forces technical training train-ing command school at Chanute Field, 111. Study of changes in atmospheric conditions weather to the layman is an adroit combination of science and art. Throughout the weeks of the weather observer's study, he gets a continuous and thorough application ap-plication in meteorology, the why and wherefore of changes in atmospheric atmos-pheric conditions. Regardless of whether the observer should serve in Alaska, India or Egypt, the general gen-eral principles of how the weather gets that way are basically the same. Observation of present weather is not a matter of casually glancing up at the sky. Ingenious instruments instru-ments are required to measure barometric baro-metric pressure, rainfall, wind speed and direction, temperature, degrees of moisture in the air, and other elements which make up the weather. The use, care and repair of these instruments, forms an important im-portant part of a weather observer's training. A pilot, of course, is interested not only in the wind and the weather at the surface, where he takes off or lands, but in the upper air, where he flys and fights. Weather observers, observ-ers, therefore, are trained in observing observ-ing the direction and speed of winds at high levels. Thus, the weather observer plays a big part in "keeping 'em flying." Released by Western Newspaper Union. |