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Postscript

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In the "Dear Mr. Robert B. Thomas" section of the 1994 Old Farmer's Almanac, a letter describes Captain Van Horne Morris as "an old sailor who instinctively knew the tides in Boston." Transcription below.

In the process of moving from New Hampshire to South Dakota, I found a box of Almanacs dated from 1965 to 1991; 1965 was the year I made captain at Eastern Airlines. Now why did a person on the leading edge of technology carry an Old Farmer's Almanac with him on every flight? It was good reading for talkative jumpseat riders and FAA inspectors on long trips. It also had the tide tables.

One evening in 1960 we were on our way home to Boston with a scheduled stop in Newark. Boston was closed due to 0-0 [zero ceiling, zero visibility] fog and would remain so until 10:00 A.M. the next day, according to the U.S . Weather Bureau. Captain Van Morris [the pilot] was an old sailor who instinctively knew the tides in Boston. He had me tell the passengers that we would leave Newark at 9:30 P.M. We were the only plane in the New England area. The Boston controller gave us the weather - still 0-0 with holding instructions at the outer marker. The captain proceeded to the outer marker and started down the glide slope in preparation to land. What does this guy think he's doing, I wondered uneasily.

Just as we neared the airport, the Boston tower called: "I don't know how you did this, but we just got 200-½ [200-foot ceiling, ½-mile visibility]." Sure enough, at 200 feet we could see the runway lights. As we taxied into the gate, I got the courage to ask this "Moses" how he knew the fog would break, right to the minute. He told me that about an hour before high tide, regardless of how thick the fog, the ceiling would rise and the visibility would increase. He didn't know why, but it was reliable.

I didn't forget the flying lesson I got that night, and when I became captain, I started carrying the Almanac. I have since amazed many copilots and crew at my "supernatural" ability to predict weather conditions at the Boston airport.

--R. P. Kliegle, Watertown, South Dakota


 

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