FSI Evacuation Photo from Pavelump's Cellphone

[Acadia]

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part of VRB's TAF today

FM0400 VRB50G80KT 1/2SM +TSRA BKN006CB OVC010
FM0800 18065G105KT 1/2SM +TSRA BKN006CB OVC010

Anybody want to learn to fly IFR? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/spin2.gif[/img]

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Speaking of that I was just looking at METAR data along the Florida east coast. Most read like this...

KVRB 041653Z AUTO A2954 RMK AO2 SLP004 PWINO FZRANO PNO $

Looks like they take down or lock some of the reporting components? Anyone know how to decode the last half of that one?

[kellwolf]

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KVRB 041653Z AUTO A2954 RMK AO2 SLP004 PWINO FZRANO PNO $

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East coast is getting pwnt? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Screaming_Emu]

I count 5 metars with a $ at the end. Coincidence? Prolly not.

[Michigan_Flyer]

Kellwolf, they are looking at a couple of Senecas as we speak.....

[FlyChicaga]

I recognize 244AT from my ME training in Aurora, IL. I think that was the one on the brochures.

[TheFlyingTurkey]

Pan Am took some pretty heavy damage. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/spin2.gif[/img]I went by there Sunday night before the National Guard took control of the airport. I took some photo's of the damage. We lost the maint. hangar (the roof blew off) which had 6-7 aircraft inside. All the aircraft were destroyed. They were not evacuated because they were down for maint. / overhauls so they were stored in the hangar. The rest of the airplanes were flown out to Little Rock.
[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/spin2.gif[/img]The admin. building's roof was damaged, and the front lobby/offices are probably pretty wet. The roof in the rear over the break and computer rooms is crushed inward.
The operations building was untouched. There were some cars in the parking lot that belong to the evac. pilots that were damged by the maint. hangar roof.
It looks like a minimum of 3 weeks before we get back to work. Maybe they will move us out to DVT???
The entire city of Fort Pierce has no power, including the airport. Trees are down, powerlines are down, and mobile homes are damaged, but it's not too terrible. Or at least it's nothing like Andrew or Charley.
I weathered the storm in Fort Lauderdale, and I am back down there where I can sleep in the air conditioning.

[gurisudenko]

A lot of NWS "red-screens" on the Weather Channel had the author's name at the bottom, and then "$". Or, sometimes just "$". I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.

[Dave_Hall]

means the sensors were out/broken/giving false readings.

[pavelump]

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"Flightsafety evacuation 9/2 - from pavelump. Waiting in line for departure. At this point Miami center is a madhouse."



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All those GA planes aren't helping the matter. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Could launch in cells of 4 each with one lead.....keep down on Center's workload. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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Agreed. I decided to go VFR and had at least 3000' ceilings the whole way. At one point, Jacksonville refused to accept anymore IFR traffic.

We're in Dothan, AL now at Ft. Rucker where there are army contract FlightSafety Blackhawk and King Air centers and it looks like we'll be here for a while waiting to see what Ivan has in store for us. It wouldn't be so bad if I had brought enough things to do... Oh well, not much you can do about that.

I'd send another picture, but it would just be a bunch of people sitting around looking extremely bored. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

The good news is that I don't think that we sustained much damage at FSI Vero Beach so hopefully we'll be up and running sooner than later as long as Ivan doesn't have something to say about that!

Seeya,
Dave

btw Doug, thanks for posting the pic. I've never sent a picture before and I wasn't sure if it worked or not! The black mark is just some weird anomoly from the propeller and the shutter speed of the "high quality" cell phone camera...

[rausda27]

The evacuation itself was quite an experience. Miami center was releasing three aircraft 2 minutes apart, with 5 minute intervals in between. I was in a seminole, and it took almost an hour to get to the hold short line. Once airborne it wasnt too bad, although I learned later that aircraft spent so much time waiting on the ground, that their IFR flight plans went into the wastebasket, forcing them to depart VFR. At one point I was on with JAX center and he announced "All aircraft on frequency, JAX center is no longer accepting handoffs, all aircraft that can hear my voice will be given holds, be prepared to copy" Just as soon as I grabbed my pencil, he handed me off, the other 16 aircraft on freq. were not so lucky..

I wish I could of seen the track on the IFR flight Planner, we had so many aircraft flying into Dothan that day..

From what I hear, it was well worth the effort, the aircraft would of been destroyed had they stayed in Vero.

[Bog]

It's all about VFR at 500' AGL!!!! Yeah!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/spin2.gif[/img]