downburst pics

bad on the ground, but can you imagine trying to FLY thru something like that? :hairraise: nothing left but a greasy spot. thanks for posting the link.
 
kellyo said:
Was doing some weather reading and came across these pics of downburst damage. The photographer who I believe is/was a truck driver took these pics after taking refuge.

http://www.mthurricane.com/Flying_Roof_Video_060104.htm
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Interesting PIX of the huge hailstones which look like lots of little stones frozen together...
The link heading says "stormchaser" which I've heard is people who drive as close to tornadoes as they dare for the benefits of the experience.
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
The link heading says "stormchaser" which I've heard is people who drive as close to tornadoes as they dare for the benefits of the experience.
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Yeah, here in Kansas, we have 'stormchasers' and 'weatherspotters'. The stormchasers typically try to get as close as possible sometimes for fun, sometimes to get pictures and sell them. Weatherspotters are posted when conditions are right (usually a Doppler echo), then relay eyewitness reports in from the field on size, location, and direction of funnel clouds.

Then you have our local helicopter traffic guy who does both at the same time, and has come up with some spectacular footage looking down on tornadoes as they rip along.
 
Matthew said:
Yeah, here in Kansas, we have 'stormchasers' and 'weatherspotters'. The stormchasers typically try to get as close as possible sometimes for fun, sometimes to get pictures and sell them. Weatherspotters are posted when conditions are right (usually a Doppler echo), then relay eyewitness reports in from the field on size, location, and direction of funnel
Click to expand...

yup. that's pretty much how it works.

I do storm spotting in the summer. Basically you are positioned somewhere outside a city.. in an area where bad conditions are likely.. and then report what you see.

never seen anything real cool yet.. other then HEAVY rain..hail, and LOTS of wind.
 
Matthew said:
Yeah, here in Kansas, we have 'stormchasers' and 'weatherspotters'. The stormchasers typically try to get as close as possible sometimes for fun, sometimes to get pictures and sell them. Weatherspotters are posted when conditions are right (usually a Doppler echo), then relay eyewitness reports in from the field on size, location, and direction of funnel clouds.

Then you have our local helicopter traffic guy who does both at the same time, and has come up with some spectacular footage looking down on tornadoes as they rip along.
Click to expand...

They chopper right over top of the T-funnel ?
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
They chopper right over top of the T-funnel ?
Click to expand...
At the bi-monthly seminars a local pilot would bring in film loops of various flying, crashes, flight tests, etc. One time he brought in a 20 minute loop featuring a guy in a 152 chasing tornados. It was awesome to watch and amazing how close he'd get. He was flying towards one when a small twister appeared off his left. Bad spot to be in. Then, as he's departing the area you could see a third was dropping down to where he just had been.

Back on the ground that pilot gave a brief interview about how he had developed certain rules in how to approach and how close he could get by judging what the twister looked like. Evidently, not all twisters behave in the same manner. He likened this to each having different personalities.
 
He doesn't fly 'directly' overhead, he's no dummy. He stays on the back side of the storm (where the funnel clouds typically form), then uses that mega-dollar camera of his to zoom in. Hard to tell exactly how far away or how high he is, he's a whole lot closer than I'd like to be, even in a basement. But he is actually looking down on the action.

A couple of years ago we had an afternoon where there were a half dozen or more tornadoes in the same storm system. He would stay between the t-storms, and maneuver around to keep from getting caught. Every now and then he'd have to land and refuel, but he was airborne for several hours easily. He followed one tornado from when it started as a funnel cloud, turned into a tornado (as soon as it touches the ground), followed it for about 30 minutes and many miles and many houses and barns, then as it 'roped out' back into a funnel cloud and disappeard. Apparently that footage was the first full life-cycle recording of a tornado and has become quite famous. This was all broadcast live on our local TV.

He eventually landed when it got too dark for him to 'see and avoid' the other funnel clouds that continued forming for several more hours. That was one busy day.

Couldn't find the video, but there are two stills at this site:

http://www.nab.org/Newsroom/Issues/commserv/ays/0503.pdf
 
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