According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, aerial navigation is the "method of determining ... aircraft's position and course by geometry and nautical astronomy ..." and meteorology is the study of motions and phenomena of the atmosphere. Strictly, then, there is no direct connection between the two, but, in reality, the atmosphere is the environment in which aircraft operate; and whatever flies is totally dependent upon the air - not least to hold it up! Whether the "motions and phenomena" work with or against the aviator, they cannot be ignored. He or she has three options: to take advantage of favourable conditions; to avoid dangerous situations; to compensate for the intermediate effects. It should be remembered in this context that the atmosphere is four dimensional, since it changes at variable rates with the passing of time. If the atmosphere were stationary and clear at all times, navigation would be a simple automatic process. During the earliest manned flights in the late 18th century, navigation was largely a matter of luck, but by the late 20th century almost every aspect had been computerised, and sophisticated systems had automated most of the routine tasks. Between the two extremes, however, there were two centuries of learning about interactions between the weather and flying.
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