Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO)
Encyclopedia
Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO) (which was sometimes referred to as "Fog Intense Dispersal Operation" or "Fog Intense Dispersal Of") was a system used for dispersing fog
from an airfield so that aircraft could land safely. The device was developed by Arthur Hartley
for British
RAF
bomber
stations, allowing the landing of aircraft returning from raids over Germany
in poor visibility by burning fuel in rows on either side of the runway.
The FIDO system was developed at the department of chemical engineering of the University of Birmingham
, United Kingdom
, during the Second World War. The invention of FIDO is formally attributed to Dr John David Main-Smith, an ex-Birmingham resident & Principal Scientific Officer of the Chemistry Dept of the Royal Aircraft Establishment
at Farnborough
, Hants, and as a courtesy the joint-patent (595,907) held by the Ministry of Supply
was shared by the department head Dr Ramsbottom as was normal practice at that date. This formal government recognition is enshrined in an Air Ministry
postwar letter to the late inventor's late widow and held by the son Bruce Main-Smith (February 2008). It also deals with the lesser role of those developing support equipment, notably the FIDO burner.
"It is my memory", writes B Main-Smith, "that much of the airfield installation was pioneered at Hartford Bridge Flats airfield (aka Blackbushe
near Yateley
, Surrey [sic]) a convenient few miles from the RAE's Farnborough aerodrome." Though JD Main-Smith co-owned the FIDO patent, no royalties accrued from any UK civilian usage after World War II as there was none, it being too petrol-hungry. At an attempt to quantify the saving of aircrew life, B Main-Smith suggests possibly 11,000 airmen but not all would be fit to fly again....
"It is difficult for the modern (2008) UK resident to comprehend what World War II fogs were like. It was not uncommon for a person to be unable to see the hand at the end of an outstretched arm. The post-war Clean Air Act
hugely ameliorated UK fogs", comments B Main-Smith.
When fog prevented returning Allied aircraft from locating and seeing their runways to land, they would be diverted to FIDO equipped aerodromes. RAF night bombers which were damaged on their missions were also diverted to FIDO airfields due to the need to make certain they could land when they arrived. When FIDO was needed, the fuel pumps were started to pour flammable liquid into the pipe system and a jeep with a flaming brand lashed to its rear drove fast down both sides of the runway to ignite the fuel at the outlets in the pipes. The burners were sometimes ignited by men on bicycles or by runners on foot. The result was a row of flame along the side of the runway that could be seen for a great distance from the air. The heat from the flames evaporated suspended fog droplets so that the Allied aircraft could have suitable visibility to find the airfield and land. Once landed, the crews would find shelter where they could, and their planes would be refuelled and, if needed, repaired before flying back to their normal bases the next day.
would be simultaneously fog-bound and it was recommended procedure in these situations for the pilot to point the aircraft towards the sea and then, while still over land, for the crew to bail-out by parachute, leaving the aircraft to subsequently crash in the sea. With raids often consisting of several hundred aircraft, this could amount to a large loss of bombers.
. Large fuel storage tanks filled with low-grade petrol and possibly kerosene and other fuel were connected by pumps to provide this fuel to the runway pipes. Although extravagant in the use of fuel consumed, the device more than made up for the costs involved in the reduction in aircraft losses.
FIDO systems were used at many air stations in England
during World War II
.
A listing of RAF fields equipped with FIDO:
The last FIDO-equipped airfield at which a system was maintained was RAF Manston, the system being available for emergency use as late as 1952. Due to the high costs involved use had to be reported to the Air Minister.
Initial installation of FIDO was designed and constructed along Runway 1 at London Heathrow Airport
but the pipes and other fittings were never installed.
FIDO was also installed at North American airfields including Arcata, California
, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
, and Amchitka
and has been used to bring commercial planes into fog-covered airports in the United States
.
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
from an airfield so that aircraft could land safely. The device was developed by Arthur Hartley
Arthur Hartley
Arthur Clifford Hartley, CBE was a British civil engineer. Graduating with a bachelor's degree from Imperial College London, Hartley worked for the North Eastern Railway and an asphalt manufacturer before joining the Royal Flying Corps during World War I...
for British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
stations, allowing the landing of aircraft returning from raids over Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in poor visibility by burning fuel in rows on either side of the runway.
The FIDO system was developed at the department of chemical engineering of the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, during the Second World War. The invention of FIDO is formally attributed to Dr John David Main-Smith, an ex-Birmingham resident & Principal Scientific Officer of the Chemistry Dept of the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
at Farnborough
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
, Hants, and as a courtesy the joint-patent (595,907) held by the Ministry of Supply
Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. There was, however, a separate ministry responsible for aircraft production and the Admiralty retained...
was shared by the department head Dr Ramsbottom as was normal practice at that date. This formal government recognition is enshrined in an Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
postwar letter to the late inventor's late widow and held by the son Bruce Main-Smith (February 2008). It also deals with the lesser role of those developing support equipment, notably the FIDO burner.
"It is my memory", writes B Main-Smith, "that much of the airfield installation was pioneered at Hartford Bridge Flats airfield (aka Blackbushe
Blackbushe Airport
Blackbushe Airport , in the civil parish of Yateley in the north-east corner of the English county of Hampshire, comprises an airfield, much reduced in size since its heyday, a British Car Auctions site, a kart track owned by Camberley Kart Club, and a small business park...
near Yateley
Yateley
Yateley is a suburban town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It lies in the north-eastern corner of Hart District Council. It includes the settlements of Frogmore and Darby Green. It had a population of 21,011 according to the 2001 census...
, Surrey [sic]) a convenient few miles from the RAE's Farnborough aerodrome." Though JD Main-Smith co-owned the FIDO patent, no royalties accrued from any UK civilian usage after World War II as there was none, it being too petrol-hungry. At an attempt to quantify the saving of aircrew life, B Main-Smith suggests possibly 11,000 airmen but not all would be fit to fly again....
"It is difficult for the modern (2008) UK resident to comprehend what World War II fogs were like. It was not uncommon for a person to be unable to see the hand at the end of an outstretched arm. The post-war Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act 1956
The Clean Air Act 1956 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in response to London's Great Smog of 1952. It was in effect until 1964, and sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in England and the Department of Health for Scotland.The Act introduced a number of...
hugely ameliorated UK fogs", comments B Main-Smith.
The system
The device consisted of two pipelines situated along both sides of the runway and through which a fuel (usually the petrol from the airfield's own fuel dump) was pumped along and then out through burner jets positioned at intervals along the pipelines. The vapours were lit from a series of burners, producing walls of flame. The FIDO installation usually stored its fuel in four circular upright tanks built at the edge of the airfield with a low brick bund wall in case of leakage. The tanks were usually encased in ordinary brickwork as protection from bomb splinters or cannon fire.When fog prevented returning Allied aircraft from locating and seeing their runways to land, they would be diverted to FIDO equipped aerodromes. RAF night bombers which were damaged on their missions were also diverted to FIDO airfields due to the need to make certain they could land when they arrived. When FIDO was needed, the fuel pumps were started to pour flammable liquid into the pipe system and a jeep with a flaming brand lashed to its rear drove fast down both sides of the runway to ignite the fuel at the outlets in the pipes. The burners were sometimes ignited by men on bicycles or by runners on foot. The result was a row of flame along the side of the runway that could be seen for a great distance from the air. The heat from the flames evaporated suspended fog droplets so that the Allied aircraft could have suitable visibility to find the airfield and land. Once landed, the crews would find shelter where they could, and their planes would be refuelled and, if needed, repaired before flying back to their normal bases the next day.
The procedure for aircrew before the introduction of FIDO
Before the introduction of FIDO, fog had been responsible for losses of a number of aircraft returning from operations. Often large areas of the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
would be simultaneously fog-bound and it was recommended procedure in these situations for the pilot to point the aircraft towards the sea and then, while still over land, for the crew to bail-out by parachute, leaving the aircraft to subsequently crash in the sea. With raids often consisting of several hundred aircraft, this could amount to a large loss of bombers.
The use of FIDO
FIDO used huge quantities of fuel, as much as 100,000 gallons [125,000 US gallons, 450,000 litres] per hour. Over twice this amount was used by airfields with longer runways such as RAF CarnabyRAF Carnaby
RAF Carnaby was an emergency landing strip that enabled crippled bombers a safe place to land near the English coast during World War II. It was situated two miles southwest of Bridlington.RAF Carnaby opened in March 1944...
. Large fuel storage tanks filled with low-grade petrol and possibly kerosene and other fuel were connected by pumps to provide this fuel to the runway pipes. Although extravagant in the use of fuel consumed, the device more than made up for the costs involved in the reduction in aircraft losses.
FIDO systems were used at many air stations in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
A listing of RAF fields equipped with FIDO:
- RAF Blackbushe/ Hartford BridgeRAF BlackbusheRAF Blackbushe was a Royal Air Force station in Hampshire, England, during World War II. It is now known as Blackbushe Airport.-History:The station was opened on 1 November 1942 as RAF Hartford Bridge and it was used throughout the remainder of Second World War for reconnaissance, defence and...
- RAF Bradwell Bay
- RAF CarnabyRAF CarnabyRAF Carnaby was an emergency landing strip that enabled crippled bombers a safe place to land near the English coast during World War II. It was situated two miles southwest of Bridlington.RAF Carnaby opened in March 1944...
- Emergency Landing Ground - RAF Downham MarketRAF Downham MarketRAF Downham Market was a Royal Air Force airfield in the west of the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom which operated during the second half of World War II.-History:...
- RAF FiskertonRAF FiskertonRAF Fiskerton was located in the Lincolnshire village of Fiskerton, 5 miles east of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. It was one of many new bomber airfields built in the early part of World War II. The airfield was situated north of the village...
- RAF FoulshamRAF FoulshamThe former Royal Air Force Station Foulsham, more commonly known as RAF Foulsham was a Royal Air Force station, a military airfield, 15 miles North-West of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1942 to 1945.-History:...
- RAF GraveleyRAF Graveley- 35 Sqn RAF :The first Squadron to move to Graveley was 35 Sqn RAF in August 1942 using the Handley Page Halifax it became a pathfinder unit, forming part of No. 8 Group...
- RAF Ludford MagnaRAF Ludford MagnaRAF Ludford Magna was a Royal Air Force airfield operated by Bomber Command during World War II and the Cold War. The station lay on agricultural farmland immediately south of the village of Ludford, Lincolnshire and was sited 21.4 miles north east of the county town of Lincoln, Lincolnshire...
- RAF ManstonRAF ManstonRAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...
- Emergency Landing Ground - RAF MelbourneRAF MelbourneRAF Melbourne was a Royal Air Force station during the Second World War. Located 5 miles to the South-west of Pocklington, Yorkshire, England. The nearest village is Seaton Ross.-History:...
- RAF MetheringhamRAF MetheringhamRAF Metheringham was a Royal Air Force station situated between the villages of Metheringham and Martin and south east of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England....
- RAF St EvalRAF St EvalRAF St Eval was a strategic airbase for the RAF Coastal Command in the Second World War . St Eval's primary role was to provided anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast of England...
- RAF SturgateRAF SturgateRoyal Air Force Station Sturgate was an airfield located 10 miles north of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.-Royal Air Force:The airfield was opened in 1944 at Royal Air Force Station Sturgate. Originally used for blind flying training two operational Lancaster squadrons arrived in June 1945 but both...
- RAF Tuddenham
- RAF WoodbridgeRAF WoodbridgeRoyal Air Force Station Woodbridge, more commonly referred to as RAF Woodbridge, is a former Royal Air Force military airbase situated to the east of Woodbridge in the county of Suffolk, England...
- Emergency Landing Ground - ÉpinoyÉpinoyÉpinoy is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village situated southeast of Arras at the junction of the N43 and D21 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:* Traces of an old castle....
The last FIDO-equipped airfield at which a system was maintained was RAF Manston, the system being available for emergency use as late as 1952. Due to the high costs involved use had to be reported to the Air Minister.
Initial installation of FIDO was designed and constructed along Runway 1 at London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
but the pipes and other fittings were never installed.
FIDO was also installed at North American airfields including Arcata, California
Arcata-Eureka Airport
Arcata/Eureka Airport , also known as Arcata Airport, is an airport located north of Eureka in the unincorporated town of McKinleyville, California. This regional airport serves Humboldt County, including the two primary regional cities that compose its name: Arcata and Eureka. The airport is a...
, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is a naval air station located in two sections around Oak Harbor, Washington, USA. It was commissioned as an active U.S. Navy installation on 21 September 1942....
, and Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
and has been used to bring commercial planes into fog-covered airports in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
External links
- Now It Can Be Told! - 'Operation Fido': Beating Airfield Fog, The War IllustratedThe War IllustratedThe War Illustrated was a British war magazine published in London by William Berry . It was first released on 22 August 1914, eighteen days after the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, and regular issues continued throughout World War I...
, July 6, 1945. thewarillustrated.info - A Lancaster bomber using Fido showing the flames burning alongside the runway
- Popular Science, August 1945, How FIDO licked Airfield Fog
- "New Tricks For FIDO", January 1946, Popular Science
- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1952/1952%20-%203328.htmlReactions to Fido - a 1952 FlightFlight InternationalFlight International is a global aerospace weekly publication produced in the UK. Founded in 1909, it is the world's oldest continuously published aviation news magazine...
article on post-war FIDO operations]
