72 ANNUAL REPOKTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGPJCULTUEE. 



advices as to Aveather conditions to be encountered from the surface 

 up to 5,000 feet. These forecasts also are published in mornino; 

 newspapers in Washington and in Dayton. The requests for special 

 forecasts and weather information from individual aviators before 

 beginning flights have largely increased. This latter information 

 for the most part is supplied by the forecasters by telephone directly 

 to the fliers. 



Important and extensive cooperative arrangements between the 

 Air Service and the Weather Bureau were established during the 

 year for the purpose of bringing the aviators of the former service 

 and Weather Bureau officials in the field into closer contact to the 

 end that forecasts, warnings, and weather information may be made 

 of the greatest possi-ble benefit to Army aviators. This plan in- 

 volves the visits by Air Service aviators to the field stations of the 

 Weather Bureau for the purpose of personal acquaintanceship, the 

 discussion of weather conditions peculiar to the various sections of 

 the country over which flights are made, the acquiring of knowl- 

 edge of the facilities at each station, for the furnishing of forecasts 

 and information desired by aviators, and the perfecting of details 

 for the securing of such information promptly and whenever re- 

 quired. 



The Weather Bureau collects at its field stations twice-daily ob- 

 servations of weather from all parts of the country at 8 a. m. and 

 8 p. m., seventy-fifth meridian time. Each of the Air Service fields 

 calls the nearest Weather Bureau station by telephone every morn- 

 ing and evening when flying operations are being carried out for 

 the purpose of obtaining the weather forecasts and reports. Fliers 

 when away from their stations are authorized to telegraph or tele- 

 phone any Weather Bureau station at any time for information as 

 to prevailing and expected weather conditions in a particular sec- 

 tion and to receive a prepaid reply. This feature of the service is 

 designed to enable fliers who for any reason are forced to land at 

 other than regular flying fields to secure all possible information 

 which will enable them to avoid danger in returning to their home 

 stations or in reaching their destinations. 



Knowledge of the science of meteorology is an important adjunct 

 to expert flying and a part of the cooperation between the two serv- 

 ices includes the delivery of lectures by meteorologists of the 

 Weather Bureau to Air Service aviators on the general work of the 

 weather service, the climatology of various sections of the coun- 

 try, air currents, the physics of the air, and on other meteorological 

 subjects pertinent to aviation. Already a number of these lectures 

 have been delivered and plans are being developed for a material ex- 

 tension of this work. 



Circulars announcing the details of the cooperation were issued 

 to all field stations of the two services, in which the Chief of the 

 Air Service enjoined that the matter is "of most vital importance 

 at the present time in connection with cross-country flying and it is 

 desired that every effort be made to carry out the provisions as 

 outlined." 



A similar cooperation exists with the aerological section of the 

 Navy Department. Forecasts and weather reports are furnished 

 with all possible completeness and dispatch to naval bases at which 



