SOUTHWEST ASIA --
It’s a tough job trying to predict Mother Nature and when it comes
to weather, everyone’s a critic. Thinking the day holds nothing but sun and
your picnic gets rained out can be aggravating. Now try to tell a pilot he
can’t fly because the weather patterns shifted. This dilemma is something
deployed weather forecasters face every day.
“When we’re talking visibility, you kind of have to be as accurate
as you possibly can,” said Senior Airman David Baily, 386th Expeditionary Operations
Support Squadron weather forecaster. “They have limitations on whether they can
safely get into an airfield or not. We really try to stay on top of it and kick
out the weather observations to keep aircrew updated.”
Deployed in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, the members of the
386th EOSS weather team do what they can to keep the aircraft flying. Every
hour they step outside to collect weather data through observation. Their
equipment collects air speed, pressure and gives them the chance to visually
inspect the atmosphere surrounding the flight line. In a sparse region, like
Southwest Asia, observation data is gold to a forecaster. With the limited
points of terrain around, these forecasters also rely on host nation
partnerships to help gather as much information as possible.
The more data they receive, the more accurate their forecasts are.
The more accurate their forecasts are the greater chance a flying mission receives
the green light. It’s a relationship pilots come to trust and rely on.
“In the Air Force, having an accurate forecast can determine the
success or failure of a mission,” said Captain Benjamin DeLaCruz, 386th Air
Expeditionary Wing Flight Safety officer in charge. “In the C-130 community, it
not only plays a major part in the beginning stages in mission planning, but
also during airdrops, tactical missions and Max Effort landings. It is also the leading cause of many aviation
mishaps or is a contributing factor.”
Changing weather isn’t the only challenge these Airmen face.
Forecasters trust in experience, but deployments usually last only six months.
At home station you have years to learn the ins-and-outs of a region. When the
winds change, forecasters can look back over their time and realize these
changing winds signal a storm and plan accordingly. To mitigate this in a
deployed environment, forecasters learn to trust their observations and higher
headquarters.
“The biggest thing in weather is experience,” said Staff Sgt.
Gregory Everson, 386th EOSS weather forecaster. “We are overseen by 28th
Operational Weather Squadron at Shaw (Air Force Base, SC), and they rely on us
and we rely on them. They have the subject matter experts and the continuity
and we can reach back if we need to.”
Despite the challenges faced, these forecasters feel what they are
providing to the base, and the pilots, are helping the Air Force play a vital
role in Operation INHERENT RESOLVE.
“I would say absolutely” said Bailey. “Depending on what the
weather is, it could change an entire base’s day. There’s a lot of pressure but
the people we work with trust us to do our job and do it correctly.”