- 1*3- 



Among the highlights of the 1963 expedition are the following: 



On May 22nd and May 24th, the aircraft reconnoitered a tropical 

 cyclone in the Arabian Sea which was the first aircraft 

 reconnaissance of such a storm in that part of the world. Indian 

 observers and photographers from USIS participated in these 

 missions. A considerable amount of favorable publicity resulted 

 and the missions may set the pattern for an Indian weather 

 reconnaissance service. 



The RFF planes were displayed at Bangkok, Singapore, Nairobi, 

 Gan, and finally on July 15th one of the DC-6's was inspected 

 at New Delhi by Prime Minister Nehru and top members of his 

 staff, who were also taken on a brief demonstration flight. 



During the three-month period, while operating out of Bombay, the Weather 

 Bureau research aircraft flew a total of 6l research missions involving hl6 

 hours of flying time. Indian meteorologists and other visiting meteorologists 

 accompanied many of the flights. There were more than 70 visiting meteorolo- 

 gists who participated. Enthusiastic and efficient aid from aviation authori- 

 ties all over the region backed up the operation. The meteorological systems 

 on board the aircraft functioned satisfactorily and no missions were aborted 

 because of equipment failure. The data gathered by these aircraft are already 

 proving invaluable in determining the meteorology of the Indian Ocean area and 

 have resulted in revisions of previous concepts and the formulation of new ones, 



On January 20, 196k, two DC-6's and 30 members of the RFF left their home base 

 at Miami, Florida, to participate in the Meteorological Program of Phase II of 

 the International Indian Ocean Expedition with their temporary base at Bombay, 

 India. 



Phase II of the IIOE was concerned primarily with the collection of meteorolo- 

 gical data needed to study air/sea energy exchange and an extensive investi- 

 gation of the general atmospheric circulation in the Indian Ocean area during 

 the "winter monsoon." 



During the six-week stay in India the two aircraft flew successful research 

 missions, without a major failure of equipment or aircraft, totaling 337 hours 

 and covering more than one hundred thousand miles. Flights were made to Gan, 

 Mauritius, Cocos Island, Darwin, Singapore, Aden and numerous missions over 

 the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. 



The total mission was completed on March 5 an & the planes stopped in Khartoum 

 enroute to their home base at Miami, Florida. 



