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Bureau Profile #1
Dr. Kevin Spillane: The Quality of Tenacity
Taking the World View [John Zillman]
Fred Bell, the Pilot's Friend
Mildura's Harry Storer
Computers—New ADC [Ross Maine]
H. G. Bond
The Sky is the Limit [Bettye Macnicol / Jenny Hopwood]
Hobart Weather Birds [Judy Morris / Felicity James]
Professional Officers' Association Award to Henry [Phillpot]
New Assistant Director Facilities is Keith Henderson
Tasmania's New Regional Director [Ted Phillips]
New Head for ANMRC [Doug Gauntlett]
Tony Powell New Regional Director Victoria
Lynn Mitchell Takes Over the Reins in SA RO Fillerup!
Pat Sullivan New Regional Director, NSW
Bettye Dixon Heads Canberra Liaison Section
Dr Michael Manton Chief of BMRC
Graeme Furler, Regional Director South Australia
Ian Mason, Regional Director ACT
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Don Linforth, STPM
Bob Brook, Asst Director (Observations)
Jim Arthur, Regional Director, Northern Territory
Neil Streten Appointed Deputy Director (Services)
Bill Downey, Assistant Director (Executive)
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Agrometeorology's Leading Lady [Gloria Bedson]
Ken Wilson—Focus on the 'Big Picture'
Sue Barrell's 'Balancing Act'
Dr Geoff Love Appointed Deputy Director (Services)
Serendipity at 33,000ft: A Win for Metrology—Bruce Forgan's WMO Vaisala Award
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Fred Bell, the Pilot's Friend
No. 173 January 1971, Item 2016Fred Bell, OIC of the meteorological office at Brisbane's Eagle Farm aerodrome, is one of the Bureau's "characters". His long connection with aviation meteorology has brought him many friends in most States. Fred is pictured opposite in the photograph at top right.
Born in Lancashire sixty years ago, Fred has a phlegmatic temperament ideal for the daily pressures of his job.
"Pilots are trained to be precise", he says. "Many of them expect perfect accuracy from our forecasts."
"Some don't appreciate margins of error, particularly about such things as fog lifting. The forecaster has to satisfy demanding clients against tight deadlines."
"A recent innovation proving invaluable to pilots is JACMAS—the use of our weather-watch radar to detect dangerous areas of turbulence around the airport, usually from thunderstorms. We've had many grateful customers."
IOM Tom Hall tells how Fred was recently hauled from the bowling green at 2.30 p.m. for an important JACMAS operation. At midnight, the team was still around the radar screen—Fred in his bowling creams. Unlike Drake, Fred didn't have time to finish the game.
People in Bright Sparcs - Bell, Fred
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