Pre-war Services for Civil Aviation (continued)

Following the performance of the KLM DC2 in the MacRobertson England-Australia air race in October 1934, Holyman's Airways, which had lost two of the airworthiness-doubtful DH86s in Bass Strait, commenced using a DC2 aircraft, Bungana, on the Melbourne-Sydney route in early May 1936. Holyman's merged with Adelaide Airways to form the second ANA in July 1936. One of their DC2s, Kyeema, crashed into the Dandenong ranges east of Melbourne on 25 October 1938 with the loss of 18 lives.

This loss was partially weather-related although the hazard of the overcast prevailing at Essendon Airport at the time could have been countered if adequate navigational aids had been available.

All-metal low-winged twin-engined aircraft such as the DC3 and those of the Lockheed Electra series began to replace the wooden-framed fabric-covered De Havilland biplanes and the tri-motored Avro 10s. The new aircraft, although not that much faster, carried more passengers and were more reliable. The vastly increased traffic placed a heavier load on the field staff of the Bureau. There were difficulties in forecasting because pilot balloons could not be used to measure upper winds in conditions of overcast low cloud.

It is important to remember that, at that stage of development, the safety and economy of aircraft operations were critically dependent on upper winds at flight level and weather at aerodromes, contrasting sharply with present aviation operations. Cruising speed, operating altitude and range were much less than at the present time and navigation aids were very primitive.

When World War II began in 1939 our aviation industry was developing rapidly. Ground facilities and navigation aids were being installed but needed much improvement.

Bureau of Meteorology