One of Britain's important secret weapons during World War II was "Fido" (Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation), a system that cleared fogbound airports. In zero-zero weather, it brought thousands of Allied planes in safely. Fido's burners, alongside runways, threw out flaming gasoline that ate holes in the fog.
Last week, the first U.S. commercial installation of Fido was put into operation at Los Angeles Airport, which is closed down 5% of the time by soupy weather. After a round of speeches and fanfare, Mayor Fletcher Bowron tripped a switch that turned on the 392 burners. Billows of black smoke rose...
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