112 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



Detection. 



As in previous years, the requisitions for fire detection were controlled by 

 District Foresters and patrols were carried out according to their requirements. 



Fire detection constitutes the major item of flying in the Provincial Air 

 Service, as is proved annually by statistics, and in view of this endeavours are 

 made to minimize the cost in maintaining this essential duty by the introduction 

 of the Moth seaplane, which can be operated at a comparatively low cost. 



During the operating season of 1927, 2,170.53 hours or 44.67 per cent, of 

 the total hours were spent in patrolling the forest area of Northern Ontario- 

 The fact that the percentage is smaller than in previous years can be ignored, 

 in view of the total hours, which exceeds all other figures connected with this duty. 



Suppression. 



Flying has not supplanted the ground forces in suppressing fires, but 

 they find in aircraft an instrument which increases the efficiency of their work 

 to a great extent. 



The total of 948 hours' flying denotes the increased activity in suppres- 

 sion and general transportation duties for the 1927 period. 



The Western District, which supplied 640.20 hours, or 67.57 per cent, 

 of the total hours, used aircraft as a means of transportation to remote districts, 

 which otherwise have to be served by canoe. 



On a number of occasions the crew of the aircraft whilst on detection 

 duties put out small fires which if allowed to burn until the arrival of the ground 

 forces, may have terminated in disastrous results. 



The outstanding feature in connection with fire suppression and trans- 

 portation during the season was the unfailing efi"orts of the personnel of the 

 Service in maintaining a machine efficiency which conduced to the favourable 

 results obtained by the suppression forces in fire fighting. 



The procedure of issuing requisitions to observers for aircraft to carry 

 out suppression and transportation flights is considered to be incompatible with 

 the nature of the demand, because except on very few occasions observers were 

 not carried and, therefore, have no apparent connection with these duties. 



Sketching. 



The hours flown during the season on classification forest types was 523.00 

 (10.47 per cent, of the total flying), an increase of 380 hours over the hours 

 applied to similar service during 1926. 



The increased activity in this connection is attributed to the detachment 

 of one machine in the Western District to perform the principal portion of this 

 duty, and the employment of other machines in times of patrol and suppression 

 inactivity. 



During this season Eva Lake was utilized as a temporary base, because of 

 its proximity to the area surveyed and because it enabled the observer to collect 

 valuable data for the ground study of forest conditions. 



Since forest type sketching from the air is accepted as being quicker, accurate 

 and cheaper, the solution for further economy in relation to this work is the 

 establishment of temporary bases each year near the scene of operation, and the 

 allocation of one or more aircraft exclusively for sketching. 



This scheme would eliminate the expense in ferrying the machines daily 

 from their respective bases, and the solicitude which might be felt at Head- 

 quarterg over the absence of the machine from its primary duties. 



