It has been supposed that meteorology must necessarily be of very great importance to aeronautics, and that important as it may be to, say, marine work, the services which it can render to aviation are still greater. It may not be without interest, therefore, to discuss in what ways it can be of most assistance; how an ideal meteorological service might be organised, and how far it is likely to satisfy the demands made upon it. We do not propose to discuss what should be done in the immediate future, since this is complicated by so many considerations, such as the financial outlay which is justified by the existing volume of aerial traffic. But to simplify our question, let us imagine a time when the amount of aerial traffic will be so great that the financial considerations involved would justify any outlay that we are likely to propose. Such a time may be supposed to be many or few years ahead, according as one feels, pessimistic or optimistic, regarding the future of commercial aviation.

The development of aircraft during the war was such that a new and reliable means of transport had come into existence before the Armistice was signed. It possessed the supreme advantage of greater speed than any other form of public transport, although the commercial possibilities of the new service had still to be proved.

A committee was formed under the chairmanship of Sir Frederick Sykes, and as a result of a series of meetings held during March and April, 1919, framed the first Air Navigation Regulations and the directions issued thereunder, which became a part of the law of the land on April 30th, 1919.

In this paper I propose to deal with the sections of the regulations and directions concerning ground engineers.

Flying is an art. A pilot may actually fly a small manoeuvrable aeroplane of the present day without knowing much about aerodynamics, just as a musician may draw exquisite music from an instrument without a knowledge of the laws of sound. There is a flying instinct just as there is a musical instinct; an unerring perception of the modes and measures of the art ; a subconscious obedience to laws which are at most but dimly realised. I do not say that a pilot can design a successful aeroplane without a certain knowledge of the fundamental truths of aerodynamics, of the distribution of stresses in a structure, any more than a musician can compose a sonata without a knowledge of the laws of sound, the laws of harmony and counterpoint, the practice of great masters in the traditions of sonata writing ; but I do maintain that he can fly the aeroplane.