A Few Of FR's Finest....Every Day....05-14-03....Hurricane Hunters

dansangel; Billie

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, daisyscarlett, dansangel, dutchess, Mama_Bear

Hurricane Hunters

While most of us who have been through the fury of a hurricane would do everything we could to avoid bearing the brunt of its destructive energy, there are some very special individuals who purposely fly into the storm to gather data for the National Hurricane Center. They have come to be known as "Hurricane Hunters."

The Hurricane Hunters who are stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi typically fly in a WC-130 Hercules aircraft. The crew is made up of six people; the aircraft commander, pilot, flight engineer, navigator, weather officer and a dropsonde (more about that in a minute) system operator.

Hurricane season lasts from June 1 through November 30 as most residents of the East Coast and Gulf regions know all too well. Most tropical depressions that grow into full-fledged hurricanes begin their "lives" off of the coast of Africa. While travelling over the Atlantic Ocean, these tropical depressions may find conditions ripe for building up to hurricane force.

Once that happens, the Hurricane Hunters swing into action. Boarding the WC-130 Hercules and taking off on their mission, these very brave people actually fly into the storm, recording data on position, dewpoint and pressure readings every thirty seconds and beaming this information, by satellite, to the National Hurricane Center.

One of the methods used to gather this information is via a dropsonde. This device is a small canister about the size of a large "Pringles" chips can. The dropsonde acts as a "mini-weather station" and is fired out into the storm by the system operator. While the dropsonde is falling, a parachute is deployed, allowing the device to transmit important information in tandem with the weather officer's onboard computer. This data is interpreted at the National Hurricane Center so that appropriate life-saving warnings may be broadcast to those in the storm's path. In addition to helping forecasters to make accurate predictions during the course of the storm, the data also aids hurricane forecasters in their understanding of what makes such a storm "tick," improving their forecast models.

In the event that Keesler AFB is inaccessible due to a hurricane positioned in the Gulf, Charleston AFB, Patrick AFB and Homestead AFB are all alternate locations for the Hurricane Hunters. No matter where the storm is located nor how intense, the Hurricane Hunters are ever-ready to put themselves into harm's way so that lives may be saved.

May God bless and protect those that risk their lives in an effort to save ours. It is with great pleasure that I bring the "Hurricane Hunters" to a Few of FR's Finest!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 05-12-03 Military Monday 05-13-03 How Does Your Garden Grow?

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

God Bless Our Military

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Daisyscarlett; Dansangel; Dutchess; Mama_Bear; and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation’s leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~

We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult and devastating day that faces each of us and our country. Protect and guide our Military that are now being called to duty, strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Pippin....niece,nephew,loved one Doug from Upland......son-in-law weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon..son-in-law,grandson BeforeISleep...................son Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells..................active duty LadyX....................grandson LongCut..................active duty Trish.......................active duty The Mayor................niece

Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons Mama_Bear...........nephew gator girl............husband severa................husband MozartLover...........nephew LBGA........................son SpookBrat...........nephew Himyar.....................son boxerblues............2 sons the piper...................son sheeza...............husband kemathen7...........husband Diver Dave................niece deadhead................cousin JimRobinson.....2 nephews Armymarinemom.....3 sons Consort...........2 daughters Darheel..................niece dixie sass.............nephew BeAllYouCanBe.........son AgThorn.............2 sons kneezles...........son

[Billie]

Morning, guys! In the race to be first, it's hard to beat our guy in the little red flying machine! :)

[Pippin]

HOWDY!

Billie!

Hope y'all can round up those "stray" demos.

TTM, Greetings from the GREAT STATE of MARYLAND! (were all our demos are accounted for! ) LOL!

[Billie]

Morning, nic - love all those little icons 'n things you and Dansy post. They're so cute!

[dansangel]

Off we go into the wild blue yonder...

When I first met .45MAN down in FL, we took a ride near Patrick AFB. There was a C-130 doing maneuvers - flying out over the ocean, then circling back in, then looking as though it was going to land, then taking off and going back up. Dan thought it was a "student pilot" on a training flight. We parked near the base and he got some great shots of that *HUGE* plane flying directly over us at low altitude.

It really is something to see!

[Billie]

'Morning, Meekie. Gonna be another hot day. After yesterday's thread, I'm in the mood to go to the nursery and buy FLOWERS! :)

[Billie]

When I arrived at the check in desk, and the fellow asked me my weight, I knew this ride would be something different!!!

Suddenly wondered if this was such a good idea....LOL! Had I eaten too much for lunch??!!

LOL! Hi, Molly - glad you're here again today!

[Aeronaut]

In the race to be first, it's hard to beat our guy in the little red flying machine! :)

Hi Billie. I appear to be winning the contest for having the worst sleep patterns.

[Pippin]

Howdy, Aeronaut!

[The Thin Man]

TTM, Greetings from the GREAT STATE of MARYLAND! (were all our demos are accounted for! ) LOL!

Pippin, I'm pleased to report to you that here in Minnesota the demos are not only accounted for but are in decline.

[Pippin]

That's even better!

Wish the dems here in maryland were in decline!

[Billie]

Morning, dixie. I guess we all have different natural disasters that are most likely to occur in our parts of the country. Ours is tornados - living too far inland to experience the wrath of hurricanes.

[dutchess]

Hi Pippin! Are the cherry trees still blossoming???

[Pippin]

I'm afraid, unlike, the dems in Maryland, the cherry blossoms are in decline. :O(

[dutchess]

Hi dansy. What an interesting thread today and "love the look". I'm a white knuckle flyer, one little bump and my nails are embedded in Mr. D's arm...I can't imagine what these guys go through!

[Pippin]

On Mr D's behalf,

OUCH!

[dutchess]

Hi sistah Billie....Here I am with my toolbar still to the right. I can drag it left (it just gets wider) but can't bring it to the bottom. Sigh...can't wait for my secretary to get back.

[Billie]

Good morning, Gail. Hope you have a good day!

Hello to my sistahs and othahs! Almost lunchtime here, and as I mentioned earlier, I think I'll go to the nursery this afternoon - have waited to buy geraniums for my pots outside, and this looks like a good time to do it!

Have a wonderful day! Will check back in later this afternoon!

[dansangel]

Hugo. Been there, done that.

I left FL for a few years to live in Ohio (1989-96). Because of that I missed Andrew (Praise God!). After seeing documentaries on it, I am so glad I wasn't around to actually experience it!

[dutchess]

I appear to be winning the contest for having the worst sleep patterns.

LOL I was wondering about that. You seem to be first or close to no matter what time the thread is posted!

[dansangel]

(((((((((dutchess))))))))

Glad you could stop by! Thank-you for the compliment. I'm trying to get caught up before I have to return to w-o-r-k ugh!