Weather or not...it's all about ops

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Alyssa C. Wallace
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Typhoon Wipha may have caught some people off guard when it hit Misawa Oct. 15, but seven Airmen had their eyes on the storm well before the first rain drop landed.

Member's of the 35th Operations Support Squadron's weather flight were able to observe the typhoon about a week out and were responsible for alerting base leadership on its progress.

This task ties directly into their responsibility of tracking weather and issuing the proper watches and warnings to ensure base personnel and assets are prepared and safe.

The flight's primary mission is to give weather updates to Air Force and Navy aviators before and during flight. Since the climate can effect flight operations in several ways - which ammunitions to use, who can fly and the flight ceiling - it's imperative the weather flight monitors conditions around the clock.

"They need to know what they're getting themselves into," said 1st Lt Steven Graves, 35th OSS weather flight commander. "Once they go into the air and they have turbulence or icing, they can't just stop and say this isn't safe - they're already there.

"In those situations they need to know if it's safe for them to return home, and we have to forewarn them on what to expect and whether or not they can accomplish their training sortie or real-world mission," Graves continues.

Because of the base's location, this significant task is not the responsibility of this weather flight alone.

"The thing that's unique is that we share a lot of responsibilities with (the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force's) weather squadron," Graves said. "They take weather observation, run weather radar and write official forecast for the base, and we tailor it to the flying mission."

However, the split in responsibility does not necessarily make things any easier for this flight, especially during the end of the year.

As fall gives way to winter, the weather flight prepares for challenges only those who have been stationed here will understand, according to Master Sgt. Michael Adcock, 35 OSS weather flight chief.

"We receive the most snow out of every Air Force base in the world," Adcock said. "We get snow showers here versus snow storms and the snow showers aren't picked up very well by our computer models because it's too small."

In these instances, they must rely on their experience.

"It's a very difficult challenge," Adcock said. "Most of the time we're in the ball park but we still get surprised. We feel responsible when the forecast isn't right - we take it personally. But we have to try our best and quickly learn from mistakes.

"Without us, aircrews may not get information to make a safe in-flight decision and snow crews may not have enough time to get the roads clear so people can commute safely and operate daily," he continued. "It's satisfying knowing you nailed a forecast and no one got hurt because of the information you were able to provide."