When did you last speak to a real Meteorologist?

[OneHungLow]

I remember the old days when beset by weather forecast doubts you could ring up the Met Office if your outfit or airfield didn't have a local tame meteorologist/forecaster and you could talk to a bona fide weather expert or specialist, and mighty comforting it was too! I haven't had the need for such a briefing in years but while mooching around the Met Office briefing site today I noticed that one has to have an account and pay dearly for this fine service these days. When I used this service for real in the late 1980's I don't remember having to pay for anything but the call! Look at the prices these days!

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/r ... 0767%20890.

At least some things remain the same. I have always loved these self-briefing charts even when they were at their gnomic worst when the forecast was a complex one, unlike today when the inland forecast says "Schorchio!"

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

In my locality, the problem is not the lack of or accessibility of forecasters, but with the granularity and reliability of the instruments used by them to build a forecast. They are too sparse and too poorly maintained to be of much use in complex, changing weather scenarios, and those are the only occasions when the likes of us really need forecasters.

The upshot being that they are frequently wrong, and not only with the forecasts, but with the nowcasts.

Two weeks ago, I heard four different forecasts from 4 different professional weather sources, and they were all wrong.

[Woody]

Yanet Garcia

[G~Man]

And then I am over here getting a daily fire weather briefing online. These guys may sound "droll" but occassionally they throw made up words in there to see if any fire fighters catch it......

https://gacc.nifc.gov/oncc/predictive/w ... /brief.mp4

[OneHungLow]

And then I am over here getting a daily fire weather briefing online. These guys may sound "droll" but occassionally they throw made up words in there to see if any fire fighters catch it......

https://gacc.nifc.gov/oncc/predictive/w ... /brief.mp4

Now that is very comprehensive and user friendly. Does one have to subscribe or is the briefing provided as a public service?

Closest I have to real time online weather is this... Only active weather being shown in the South East is currently is in the channel while by comparison the North East coast looks to be partly IMC.

Shame on me that is the 6th time I have watched Woody's video.

[G~Man]

Now that is very comprehensive and user friendly. Does one have to subscribe or is the briefing provided as a public service?

Nah, just save the link and they change the video each day---normally before 9 Pacific, it goes along with our National Sit report and 6 minutes for safety.....both of which change daily.

National Wild Fire Situation Report--changes daily

6 Minutes For Safety Calendar

And I know I am sending you down a rabit hole of cool links now......lol

[OneHungLow]

Now that is very comprehensive and user friendly. Does one have to subscribe or is the briefing provided as a public service?

And I know I am sending you down a rabit hole of cool links now......lol

Yup just gone down this one...

https://www.nwcg.gov/committee/6mfs/elk ... r-accident

[G~Man]

Yup just gone down this one...
https://www.nwcg.gov/committee/6mfs/elk ... r-accident

Happy Camp where this accident occured, or at least the base from which he took off is considered cursed by fire fighting pilots. This was the location of many helicopter crashes or incidents including the rapeller who was killed when he incorrectly attached himself with the rubber band in stead of a caribiner...

I will never fly there......

Before the rappelling training, Marovich noticed that the Kong clip on his Tri-link was broken. The Kong Clip is used to center the “J” hook at the forward corner of the Tri-link. It is a nice piece of equipment to have, but is not essential. Kong clips are prone to breaking and are not popular. He sought assistance from a spotter trainee who replaced the Kong clip with an “O” ring, which was an authorized substitution.

The “O” ring was installed incorrectly. Before the rappelling attempt, four people looked at or inspected Marovich’s rappelling gear: the spotter trainee who installed the “O” ring, Marovich, and in the helicopter a spotter, and another helitack crewperson who did a “buddy check”.

Marovich fell, unarrested, shortly after stepping out onto the helicopter skid. He was pronounced deceased about 30 minutes later.

Here are some photos from the report showing for illustration purposes examples of a correct and then an incorrect installation of an “O” ring on a Tri-link.

Correct installation:

,

O-Ring_correct.jpg (34.71 KiB) Viewed 1883 times

Incorrect installation:

.

[OneHungLow]

Happy Camp where this accident occured, or at least the base from which he took off is considered cursed by fire fighting pilots. This was the location of many helicopter crashes or incidents including the rapeller who was killed when he incorrectly attached himself with the rubber band in stead of a caribiner...

I will never fly there......

Before the rappelling training, Marovich noticed that the Kong clip on his Tri-link was broken. The Kong Clip is used to center the “J” hook at the forward corner of the Tri-link. It is a nice piece of equipment to have, but is not essential. Kong clips are prone to breaking and are not popular. He sought assistance from a spotter trainee who replaced the Kong clip with an “O” ring, which was an authorized substitution.

The “O” ring was installed incorrectly. Before the rappelling attempt, four people looked at or inspected Marovich’s rappelling gear: the spotter trainee who installed the “O” ring, Marovich, and in the helicopter a spotter, and another helitack crewperson who did a “buddy check”.

Marovich fell, unarrested, shortly after stepping out onto the helicopter skid. He was pronounced deceased about 30 minutes later.

Here are some photos from the report showing for illustration purposes examples of a correct and then an incorrect installation of an “O” ring on a Tri-link.

Truly shocking that such an obvious error was missed by so many people.

Reminds me of the tragic death of British RM Captain Antony Easterbrook a member of the Mountain Leader Training Cadre who fell to his death while doing a display in Maddison Square Garden in 1960.