tribution of the great storm and fair weather eddies in the atmos- 

 phere. In southern Cahfornia, owing to the frequent occurrence 

 of purely local control of the wind by the land and water areas 

 and the irregular topography, it is possible to map out regular 

 courses which balloonists will take. Such "air-lanes" have been 

 known for many years (3.) The writer has frequently been in a 

 company of balloons where his craft was flying rapidly in one 

 direction and his companions, in other levels, were traversing 

 space with the same speed but in opposite directions. 



It is apparent that the aeronaut must know local weather 

 conditions in order to govern his balloon safely and efficiently." 

 One of the most spectacular illustrations of the application of 

 local meteorological phenomena is exhibited not infrequently at 

 the Naval Air Station at San Diego. While the writer was visit- 

 ing that station recently in his ofificial capacity as a Lieutenant, 

 U.S.N.R.F. cl. 6, he learned of the practice of the naval balloon 

 pilots there to take advantage of the land-and-sea-breeze. The 

 pilot would ballast heavily, and, ascending rapidly into the off- 

 shore breeze, drift over the sea, pull the valve-cord when out a 

 few miles, descend w^ithin a few hundred feet of the ocean, into 

 the on-shore wind, and land at the station where they started, 

 by thus utilizing the upper flowing land-breeze they would fly 

 westward, and descending into the lower, easterly flowing, sea- 

 breeze, it would bring them back to their place of ascension. 



General knowledge of meteorology as well as intimate ac- 

 quaintance with local features is therefore of prime importance 

 to a balloon pilot. He should be a meteorologist as well as a bal- 

 loonist. Expert meteorological ability enabled Lt.-Col. H. P. 

 Hersey (now in charge of the U. S. Weather Bureau office at Los 

 Angeles) in company with Col. Frank Lahm, to be of the greatest 

 assistance in winning the Gordon-Bennett trophy in the first inter- 

 national balloon race from Paris in 1906 (4). 



American aeronauts, from Hersey to Upson, have always 

 excited considerable admiration from European pilots by their 

 technical knowledge of weather and their personal bravery in 

 the face of adverse conditions. As to the safety of balloon flying, 

 aeronautic authorities agree that there is no sport providing more 

 adventure and exhilaration in such small proportion to the dan- 

 ger from accidents than ballooning. Two or three years ago the 

 Goodyear Co. in training overseas pilots made 3.200 spherical 

 balloon flights carrying 10,000 persons and traveled more than 

 60,000 miles without a single accident (5). Lentil two years ago 

 the altitude record for manned aircraft was held by a balloonist. 

 Dr. Berson, who ascended 6^ miles. The present record of jiearly 



3. Ford A. Carpenter. Climate and Weather of San Diego. Harrisburg, 1913. 



4. H. B. Hersey. Experiences in tlie Sky. Century Magazine, 1906. 



5. R. H. Upson. Free Ballooning. Akron, 1919. 



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