Aviation Services (continued)

In the same month the British Bristol Aircraft Company test flew its four-engined turboprop Britannia aircraft which was designed to carry 133 passengers and to cruise at 300 knots with a range of 3 500 nautical miles.

Attractions of the turbo-props and jet passenger aircraft were that their kerosene fuel was cheaper and their higher speed meant that they could log up more passenger-miles, therefore earning more income.

Thus in 1950, at the beginning of the five years when E. W. Timcke was Director of Meteorology, it was apparent that there would be an increasing demand for meteorological services for aviation, both in number of forecasts and the type of information. Walter Dwyer and Ralph Holmes in the Aviation and Communications area. Bill Brann in Observations, Harry Ashton in Training, Len Dwyer and Tom Hall in Management and Administration, Walter Dwyer and Ralph Holmes in the Aviation Section and our team in the Central Analysis, Special Investigations and Research areas spent much time in planning to meet that demand.

Service was required for a wide range of aviation, for the outmoded DC3s which still carried many passengers, for the pressurised piston-engined Convairs, DC6s and Lockheed Constellations and ultimately for the turbo-props and jet aircraft.

The main points of service were at the international airports at Sydney, Darwin, Essendon and Perth which had the task of supplying service for long-range international aircraft as well as a growing volume of domestic travel.

Bureau of Meteorology