Brian SchoettmerBrian Schoettmer&&

John GordonJohn Gordon

WFO Louisville, KYWFO Louisville, KY

Ground Survey Limitations/Improvement

Ohio/Grayson/Hardin County Supercell

Value of Video

Road Map for Implementation

Mutual Understanding Between Partners

Wrap Up

Damage occurs in places that cannot be easily accessed…

Damage in heavyDamage in heavyterrain 0.5 milesterrain 0.5 miles

from road willfrom road willnot be seennot be seen

If A Tree Falls In The Woods…If A Tree Falls In The Woods…

……Was There Really Damage?Was There Really Damage?

Tornado Tracks: 1830 - Present

Legend

(E)F-0(E)F-0(E)F-1(E)F-1(E)F-2(E)F-2(E)F-3(E)F-3(E)F-4(E)F-4(E)F-5(E)F-5

Divergent Vs. Convergent Signatures• Big picture easier to see from the air

Time Consuming • Ground surveys are inefficient

Length/Width/Start/End• Fine details are harder to determine from ground

Embedded Signatures• Tornadic signatures embedded in overall straight

line wind damage – common in Ohio Valley QLCS storms

Multi-disciplined team approach for a more comprehensive survey

NWS Meteorologists

Broadcast Media

StructuralEngineers

GeneralAviation Pilots

Better Surveys!

The Civil Air Patrol is a GREAT resource…

However…

Not always feasible due to budget constraints and timeliness issues.

Photographer/Flight InstructorGlen Norman

PilotRoy Cantrall

Tornado? Scud? Funnel Cloud?

Sparked heavy media interest…however no damage reports from the area

Videos Shot Here

EF-2 &EF-0Here

EF-1Here

Damage signatures clearly convergent

Storm Motion

Huntingburg, IN

Oil RigOil RigOil SlickOil Slick

QuicklyQuicklyindentifyindentify

scour marksscour marksnot easily not easily seen on seen on groundground

Path lengthPath lengthand widthand width

easily easily identifiedidentified

IdentifyIdentifybreaks inbreaks inpath orpath or

continuouscontinuous

Quick Quick overviewoverview

Distance Distance debrisdebris

scatteredscattered

Survey placesthat

cannotbe

reachedon foot

Recruit pilots at local airports with anattractive brochure

Speak to local pilotgroups

Set up local officeprocedures/

guidelines to follow

NWS Jackson, KYnow participating

Easily accessible Google Earth KML file with volunteer pilot locations, range, contact info, etc. located on a shared office

drive.

Unique Entry Into Pilot Log Book

Receive An Awesome

Plaque!

Be An IntegralPart In Rating

Storm Damage

Partner with the

NWS

Plaque presentation in front of a Piper Cherokee140 at Addington Field,

Elizabethtown, KY.

Left: Glen Norman (photographer)

Middle: Roy Cantrall(pilot)

Right: Brian Schoettmer

AOPA Online’s Dan Nimowitz wrote an article about the program and our first volunteers

Pilots must clearly understand this is a volunteer program

Pilots cannot be asked to fly,they must already be planning

to fly that day

Pilots cannot becompensated

Be sure the pilot has a specific path with recognizable landmarks to follow.

Example…cities, rivers, lakes, airports, etc.

Don’t send them on a “Wild Goose Chase”.

River/Lake

Airport

Local Media Oil Pipeline Aircraft

State PoliceMore local pilot groups, airshows, etc.