Services for Aviation

Appendix 3 (which identifies milestones in the Bureau's development) lists the major developments in domestic and international aviation in the Dwyer years. Chapters 1 and 3 have described how in the late 1940s and early 1950s civil aviation depended largely on wartime aircraft converted for the use of civilian passengers until the rapidly growing aircraft industry produced high-flying pressurised piston-engined aircraft and developed even higher-flying turbo-prop and turbo-jet aircraft. Chapter 3 also tells how the British DH106 Comet jet airliner made a spectacularly successful debut in 1952, only to be withdrawn from service in 1954 after a series of crashes which, after having first been attributed to pilot error, were found to be the result of structural failure.

Gerry O'Mahony tells me that he and J. V. Maher flew in a British Airways DH106 Comet which on arrival in Darwin suffered considerable damage to the landing gear when the pilot landed heavily. They proceeded to Melbourne on another aircraft.

Gerry has also mentioned that when he worked in the Bureau's Statistical Section in Melbourne during the Timcke years he was very proud to be able to program the Hollerith sorter and tabulator to produce an analysis of headwind and crosswind components at Australian airports where it was planned to operate the DH106 Comet.

Chapter 3 also mentions that the British Vickers Aircraft Company had developed and test flown its turbo-prop Viscount aircraft as early as July 1948. TAA introduced it into Australian domestic service in December 1954. About the same time another British aircraft company, Bristol, had built and test flown the four-engined Britannia turbo-prop which was also seen on Australian airports on international flights.

By 1955, when Len Dwyer became Director of Meteorology, international airlines including Qantas were operating pressurised piston-engined passenger airliners through Australian international airports. Some turbo-prop Britannias were seen and the Boeing 707 jet airliners had been test flown in May 1954. Qantas announced the order of seven Boeing 707 jet airliners in September 1956, and in the meantime continued to operate the Super Constellations, beginning the first round-the-world service in 1958.

Bureau of Meteorology