The Wrangell sentinel., 1920-08-19
 NAVIGATION AFFECTED BY
 WEATHER

IN. M. o.s MStSOl lOlOSlSt. J-lt iS impossible to think of commercial aviation without simultaneously thinking of weather, and yet it is not generally recognized how great part the weather really plays. Machines and pilots have reached such state of perfection that flying is possible in almost any type of weather, and it is this fact that has made commercial aviation a paying proposition.
 The above statement will nat urally bring forth the query: But what about the Atlantic flight?'
 Competitors in this flight were held up for weeks on account of weather. but it was not their inabil- ity to fly through bad weather that prevented them from starting; it was the uncertainty of what they were to encounter, and the narrow margin of fuel capacity if adverse conditions should be met. Hawker started against the weather reports and he flew through bad weather, but his failure was due to mechani- cal breakdown. Alcock accom- plished the journey and encountered nearly every conceivable type of bad weather. The R-34 did her journey irrespective of weather, but carried a meteorologist who was in wireless communication with the weather bureau, and would in- form her captain what to expect and how to avoid the wor st weather.
 The NC-4 was in a different cate- gory; she had emergency bases at short intervals, but was held up at the Azores and Lisbon on account of weather.
 All these pioneer flights appear to be in direct opposition to my first statement, but 1 maintain that given accurate weather information most of these delays would not have occurred, and I have men, toned them to illustrate what the chief use of meteorology in aviation will be.
 A pilot, given a good machine, can and will fly in almost any weather if he knows beforehand what sort of conditions he is going to encounter and where. Fore warned is forearmed." Difficulties lose half their terror if they are squarely boarded and understood. A patch of bad weather has no ter TOTS for an experienced pilot if he knows it's extent and where the worst part is. Without the fore warning a pilot encounterlng unex- pected bad weather naturally would turn back or land at the nearest point. He is up against the un- known, he does not know if condi- tions will get worse as he proceeds, but if he knows of this patch of bad weather, is anticipating it, knows where the worst is and how bad it is, then his problem is settled for him before starting.
 There are practically only three weather conditions that will prevent a flight on an organized route, where proper weather knowledge is available - fog, snowstorms and gales. With regard to fog, this is generally of local occurrence, and, except on the sea coasts and the Great Lakes, does not cover any great area, or persist for any length of time. There, again, a knowledge of its actual extent and when it is liable to lift will often make for the accomplishment of flight that would otherwise be post poned.
 Snowstorms are difficult to place. It is very nearly impossible to say where and when a snowstorm will begin and what area it will cover, but snowstorms of long duration are not frequent, and they would only lead to a temporary postpOne.