Weather Radar

[BravoXray]

In my 61 years of living here, I've never seen one on the ground. I have been within 1/2 a mile of major damage about a dozen times. Less than 1/4 of a mile about 6 times.

We don't take them lightly.

Plus, there's beer in the basement.

In my 72 years, I've seen five tornadoes on the ground, four of which were on Palm Sunday. A few days after, dad took me up in his plane and we flew around to look at all the damage. It was really appalling the devastation there was. ou could track where every tornado touched down and finished.
WAYYY back in the '70s, when we had tornado warnings, my wife would always panic and take drag the kids into the basement and scare the crap out of them too. I would go out and watch to see what was going on.
I love a good thunderstorm! The more thunder and lightning the better!

 

[MossRoad]

In my 72 years, I've seen five tornadoes on the ground, four of which were on Palm Sunday. A few days after, dad took me up in his plane and we flew around to look at all the damage. It was really appalling the devastation there was. ou could track where every tornado touched down and finished.
WAYYY back in the '70s, when we had tornado warnings, my wife would always panic and take drag the kids into the basement and scare the crap out of them too. I would go out and watch to see what was going on.
I love a good thunderstorm! The more thunder and lightning the better!

Remember that little air strip along 20? I think we've talked about that before. Midway?

My dad worked in Elkhart at an architectural firm at the time. On California Rd west of Nappanee St across from that gravel pit. WVPE and the High School are there now. He took many pictures in the days that followed. Every picture had dead chickens. Trucks in trees. A blade of grass stuck through a wall. Increadible.

 

[MossRoad]

Gotta ask, what kind of airplane and where did he fly out of?

 

[turbo36]

Palm Sunday 1965
Dunlop Indiana
Midway Trailer Park gets destroyed by F4 twin twister.

I was 4 years old living about 25 miles from there.

1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Probably one of the most terrifying and iconic photos of a tornado ever taken.

That Palm Sunday incident was probably the most traumatizing days of my young life. We had some tornados in our town that day as well. It's the main reason I'll never live in a house without a tornado shelter. Plenty of incidents since then to confirm my beliefs, too.

View attachment 774035

I remember that day, I was 9 years old, the tornado passed within 2 miles of where we lived in Rockford Michigan.
my current industrial building is in Comstock Park about a quarter mile from the Swan in that was destroyed, we have oak trees behind the building that still have sheet metal wrapped around them that the bark has overgrown.

 

[BravoXray]

Remember that little air strip along 20? I think we've talked about that before. Midway?

My dad worked in Elkhart at an architectural firm at the time. On California Rd west of Nappanee St across from that gravel pit. WVPE and the High School are there now. He took many pictures in the days that followed. Every picture had dead chickens. Trucks in trees. A blade of grass stuck through a wall. Increadible.

Oh yeah, I used to land my ultralight there. I can't remember the guy's name, but he used to fly a C172 out of there. He also designed the pancake plane that used to hang in the KSBN terminal.

Edit: A few synapses reconnected and his name came to me, Milt Hatfield.

If I had an old sectional map, it would be on there. I live just south of there.
There was another airstrip parallel to and a few hundred feet south of US20 between CR27 and CR29, that we built back in the '60s. The guy ran a tree service and flew a C310 out of it.
We also built the strip at Kropf Mfg. on IND15 just south of Jefferson School. Bob flew an Apache and later an Aztec out of it. I could always here those 540 Lycomings when he left.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I would want viewing windows from my bunker....

Get some doorbell type cameras rigged to a HD TV in the shelter. You can watch the chaos from safety!

 

[MossRoad]

Oh yeah, I used to land my ultralight there. I can't remember the guy's name, but he used to fly a C172 out of there. He also designed the pancake plane that used to hang in the KSBN terminal.

Edit: A few synapses reconnected and his name came to me, Milt Hatfield.

If I had an old sectional map, it would be on there. I live just south of there.
There was another airstrip parallel to and a few hundred feet south of US20 between CR27 and CR29, that we built back in the '60s. The guy ran a tree service and flew a C310 out of it.
We also built the strip at Kropf Mfg. on IND15 just south of Jefferson School. Bob flew an Apache and later an Aztec out of it. I could always here those 540 Lycomings when he left.

When I was delivering flowers in 1986-87 I'd drive by that one at Midway. There was 1 or 2 Ercoupes tied down there. Long gone now. Hard to believe the development in that area. Funny what 35-40 years does.

ERCO Ercoupe - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[lman]

Palm Sunday 1965
Dunlop Indiana
Midway Trailer Park gets destroyed by F4 twin twister.

I was 4 years old living about 25 miles from there.

1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Probably one of the most terrifying and iconic photos of a tornado ever taken.

That Palm Sunday incident was probably the most traumatizing days of my young life. We had some tornados in our town that day as well. It's the main reason I'll never live in a house without a tornado shelter. Plenty of incidents since then to confirm my beliefs, too.

View attachment 774035

I saw that one when I was a boy. We had been in the basement and my dad had been watching outside. He saw it about 3/4 mile away and knew it was moving away. So he got us out so we could see it and I remember seeing debris flying around from a barn that was destroyed.

 

[repete]

Get some doorbell type cameras rigged to a HD TV in the shelter. You can watch the chaos from safety!

But nothing can compare to actually seeing the old lady ride by on her bicycle during the twister.

 

[BravoXray]

When I was delivering flowers in 1986-87 I'd drive by that one at Midway. There was 1 or 2 Ercoupes tied down there. Long gone now. Hard to believe the development in that area. Funny what 35-40 years does.

ERCO Ercoupe - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Here's a picture of the Midway Airport back in the 60s or 70s. There are some Ercoupes siting there. They actually flew some B17s in and out of there, lots of B25s too. hat place was a real hot spot of aviation for many years. Pissed me off when they put a Meijer store in there.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's a picture of the Midway Airport back in the 60s or 70s. There are some Ercoupes siting there. They actually flew some B17s in and out of there, lots of B25s too. hat place was a real hot spot of aviation for many years. Pissed me off when they put a Meijer store in there.

Man, that's a great photo! Thanks.

 

[cqaigy2]

From somebody without much experience around air planes and such, but it seems to me that civilian (none commercial) aviation has declined over the years. Seems at least down in the lower 48, that you see fewer small air fields and few planes at those air fields. Again this is from someone that doesn't have much exposure.

 

[MossRoad]

From somebody without much experience around air planes and such, but it seems to me that civilian (none commercial) aviation has declined over the years. Seems at least down in the lower 48, that you see fewer small air fields and few planes at those air fields. Again this is from someone that doesn't have much exposure.

Quickly off the top of my head I can think of 3-4 private strips that are gone and 2 business strips that are gone just within about 15 miles of me. That's not counting the one in the picture above.

 

[MossRoad]

There's probably several reasons.

1 being the private grass strip can't be used in the winter or when the ground is mushy.

2 is the kids don't fly and the guy gets old, sells the plane, and converts the field to a lavender farm (true story).

3 There are quite a few small public airports around here and most people that I know like to keep the planes inside T-hangers and be able to use them 365 days per year.

4 is the cost. It's an expensive hobby.

And 5 is there are flying clubs at a lot of small-medium airports where you can join for a fee and rent the club planes as needed. Those are probably the best bang for the buck these days.

 

[Xfaxman]

Here's a picture of the Midway Airport back in the 60s or 70s. There are some Ercoupes siting there. They actually flew some B17s in and out of there, lots of B25s too. hat place was a real hot spot of aviation for many years. Pissed me off when they put a Meijer store in there.

I was born in East Chicago, Indiana in 1940, grew up near Cedar Lake and Crown Point.
Midway Airport was very active then.

 

[MossRoad]

I was born in East Chicago, Indiana in 1940, grew up near Cedar Lake and Crown Point.
Midway Airport was very active then.

Different Midway.

 

[MossRoad]

This area was called Midway, I believe, because it was Mid-Way between Elkhart and Goshen.

About here... (click to enlarge).

 

[Xfaxman]

Different Midway.

Yep, this is the one I remember, southeast of Chicago: Midway Airport (MDW)

 

[MossRoad]

If anyone has 20-30 minutes, read this article. It was 56-57 years ago and still remembered each Palm Sunday.

1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A short clip at the start of the article....

On April 10–12, 1965, a devastating severe weather event affected the Midwestern and Southeastern United States.[nb 2][nb 3][nb 4] The tornado outbreak produced 55 confirmed tornadoes in one day and 16 hours. The worst part of the outbreak occurred during the afternoon hours of April 11 into the overnight hours going into April 12. The second-largest tornado outbreak on record at the time, this deadly series of tornadoes, which became known as the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, inflicted a swath of destruction from Cedar County, Iowa, to Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and a swath 450 miles long (724 km) from Kent County, Michigan, to Montgomery County, Indiana. The main part of the outbreak lasted 16 hours and 35 minutes and is among the most intense outbreaks, in terms of tornado strength, ever recorded, including at least four "double/twin funnel" tornadoes. In all, the outbreak killed 266 people, injured 3,662 others, and caused $1.217 billion (1965 USD) in damage.

That would be about $11 Billion in 2022 dollars.

 

[MossRoad]

Yep, this is the one I remember, southeast of Chicago: Midway Airport (MDW)

It's SW of Chicago.

Still a very busy airport.