John Findlater | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-05-19)19 May 1926 |
| Died | 28 March 2013(2013-03-28) (aged 86) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Occupations |
|
John Findlater (19 May 1926 – 28 March 2013)[2] was a leadingScottishmeteorologist,aviation expert andair crash investigator who worked with the BritishMeteorological Office from 1945 until his retirement in 1989. He received numerous awards for his scientific research and public service, including the LG Groves Memorial Prize[3] (which he won twice) and theImperial Service Medal.[2]
Findlater was born inMotherwell, Scotland, in May 1926, the son of a railway superintendent.[1] He moved toInverness at a young age, and was educated atInverness Royal Academy, where he developed a fascination with aircraft.[1]
During theSecond World War, Findlater served in theRAF, working aboard weather-monitoring ships in theAtlantic Ocean.[2] Later in the war, he survived a violent plane crash in aBristol Blenheimlight bomber at an Inverness airfield, being the only crewperson to escape without serious injury.[2] While in the RAF, Findlater became highly knowledgeable about aircraft andaeronautical engineering, and worked as a consultant and researcher with the RAF numerous times in his later career.[1]
After the war, Findlater joined theMet Office, beginning his career as a teacher of meteorology inNairobi,Kenya.[1] While in Kenya, he began studying themonsoon winds that develop around theHorn of Africa, conducting hundreds of research flights over theIndian Ocean to gather data.[1] During this period, he discovered a previously unknown wind system that blows diagonally across the Indian Ocean parallel to theSomalian coast; the phenomenon was named the Findlater jet in his honour.[1] Findlater furthermore received the LG Groves Memorial Prize for his research.
He then returned to the United Kingdom, where he served as a Principal Scientific Officer and air crash investigator for the Met Office.[2] In 1987, two years before his retirement from the Met Office, Findlater investigated thehaar, or coastal fog, that affected operations at RAF bases in Scotland. He received a second LG Groves Memorial Prize for this work.[1]
Findlater retired from the Met Office in 1989, receiving theImperial Service Medal for his distinguished service. He continued to offer expert advice on aviation policy in his later years, advocating for the conservation of aircraft such as theHawker Siddeley Nimrodmaritime patrol jet.[2] He died in March 2013 at the age of 86.
Findlater was survived by his wife, Mary, and daughter, Fiona.[2] He was a proficientglider pilot, at one point working as a gliderflight instructor atLasham Airfield inHampshire.[1]