Glimpse of the RAAF Meteorological Service
Preface
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: Growing Up
Chapter 2: Port Moresby Before Pearl Harbour
Sydney to Port Moresby by DH-86
First Impressions of Port Moresby
Meteorological Office Routine
Flight to Kokoda
Tropical Meteorology
John (Doc) Hogan
Setting up House
We Join the RAAF
A Contrast in Attitudes
Some RAAF History
RAAF No 10 Squadron
RAAF No 11 Squadron
The Catalina Story
Construction of the Seven-mile Airstrip and Reclamation Area
Meteorological Service for the RAAF
Unexpected Vistitors
Our State of Readiness
Our Domestic Situation
A Japanese Surprise Packet
What Had We Meteorologists Achieved?
Chapter 3: Port Moresby After Pearl Harbour
Chapter 4: Allied Air Force HQ and RAAF Command, Brisbane
Chapter 5: Japan Surrenders and We Are Demobilised
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Appendix 1: References
Appendix 2: Milestones
Appendix 3: Papers Published in Tropical Weather Research Bulletins
Appendix 4: Radiosonde Observations 1941–46
Index
Search
Help
Contact us
Unexpected Vistitors
In September 1941 I was in our office at the Kila Kila aerodrome when I heard the roar of a large aircraft. To my amazement I saw, from the verandah of our office, a huge machine circling our strip at low altitude. I could not imagine that he was preparing to land on such a short runway but he lined up for his approach and landed. The landing was all the more hazardous because horizontal visibility had been reduced to about one kilometre because of smoke from fires that natives had lit to burn large patches of grass. It turned out that this was a United States Air Force (USAF) Flying Fortress (B-17), being one of nine which had flown from the USA via Honolulu, Midway Island and Wake Island to Port Moresby. Even though the war was still two or three months off, secrecy was essential which accounted for the lack of warning of their arrival. The leg of 2176 nautical miles from Wake Island to Port Moresby involved a flight, in darkness, over the Japanese-held Caroline Islands. I believe that only one of the nine aircraft landed at Kila Kila that day. No doubt the others landed at the Seven-mile strip, which was nearing completion.The B-17 was the largest aeroplane I had seen at that time with impressive armament from gun blisters in the front, either side and rear of the long fuselage. Later models of the B-17 had a belly gunner in a ball turret below the fuselage. The B-17 which landed at Kila Kila soon took off for the Seven-mile airstrip for refuelling before flying to the Philippines.
 |
Bureau of Meteorology |  |
© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/fam/0414.html