Hurricane Charley

[Sunnfun]

So, who flew tonight around southern florida? And how was it? Sure looked scary from the ground...

Cheers,
Sun'n Fun

 

[crash-proof]

I'm in Fort Lauderdale and you can see the winds are pickin up, clouds moving fast. For folks on the east coast, we'll barely feel it. But for those on the gulf coast, oh boy...

 

[CSY Mon]

Also in Ft. Lauderdale....Blowing a bit here...About 20 knots from the SSE with gusts up to 35-40.

Just came back from delivering a boat, felt more of the wind on the water than in town....Fortunately we were going North up the ICW...Tailwind..

Been lucky here in FLL the last 6 years....Knock on wood...

 

[jetexas]

145mph!

Man, they are gonna get slammed! Good luck folks!

 

[rumpletumbler]

I'd like to see a 757 come down final with like a 20kt groundspeed. Pass it on a bicycle. haha

 

[rumpletumbler]

The metars aren't looking as bad as I thought they would be....

KAPF 131653Z AUTO 15028G40KT 3SM +RA FEW022 SCT034 BKN042 28/24 A2980 RMK AO2 PK WND 14040/1647 SLP091 P0008 T02780244

KFMY 131825Z 14025G41KT 1 3/4SM RA BR FEW020 BKN029 OVC034 26/23 A2974 RMK AO2 PK WND 14041/1816 LTG DSNT S AND SW PRESFR P0011

 

[jetexas]

Lordy!..How the heck would you be able to make any progress into that 145mph wind on a bicycle? Now if you could do that on a unicyle I'd be impressed!

 

[rumpletumbler]

A good hill would help.

 

[Sunnfun]

The metars aren't looking as bad as I thought they would be....

Well...

KPGD 132032Z AUTO 11076G95KT 1 1/2SM TSRA BR BKN007 BKN011 OVC016 24/24 A2875 RMK AO2 PK WND 11095/2032 LTG DSNT SE-W TSB08RAB01 CIG 005V010 PRESFR P0024 $

These guys are getting hammered on pretty good... All the best to the folks there!

 

[FN FAL]

They are saying 3 dead in NC from tornadoes spun off from the storm and in Cuba they have reported 3 dead already.

 

[blueridge71]

I'm scheduled to do CVG-RIC-CVG tomorrow afternoon. We're thinking that (one of) the storm(s) may be there about the same time.

 

[rvsm410]

Here east of MCO ......

Baten down the hatches....were all ready for this...it' unexpected NE turn caught all of us in the area by surprise.....we rally dont have anywhere to o now...the area is full of west florida people and the roads are littered with accidents and long traffic on all hiways.....

Wx here is not to bad yet, just rain KTIX 131346Z 27005KT 7SM BKN090 OVC200 25/ A3001



KMCO 131820Z 131818 12008KT P6SM SCT040 BKN080 OVC250 TEMPO 1819 18030G45KT 1/2SM +TSRA BKN012 OVC030CB FM2200 14020G30KT P6SM SCT040 BKN060 OVC100 TEMPO 2224 16030G50KT 2SM +TSRA FEW015 BKN030CB FM0000 13025G40KT 3SM RA BKN020 OVC030 TEMPO 0003 13030G50KT 1SM +RA OVC010 FM0300 14045G60KT 2SM +RA BKN010 OVC020 TEMPO 0306 14055G75KT 1/2SM +RA OVC006 FM0600 17045G60KT 2SM +RA BKN010 OVC020 TEMPO 0609 17050G70KT 2SM SHRA BKN020 FM0900 20040G55KT 3SM RA BKN020 OVC030 TEMPO 0912 20045G60KT 2SM +RA BKN015 OVC030 FM1200 23030G45KT P6SM SCT020 BKN040 OVC100 TEMPO 1215 23040G55KT 2SM +RA BKN015 OVC030 will keep you posted as the hurricane passes us tonight

 

[Sunnfun]

Looks like it knocked the windspeed indicator out now...

KPGD 132044Z AUTO 3/4SM -TSRA BR 24/24 A2852 RMK AO2 VIS 1/2V1 1/4 LTG DSNT SW AND W TSB08RAB01 PRESFR P0030

 

[Sunnfun]

The weather channel reported a gust of 109MPH at Port Charlotte, which is that airport basically.

See my post above. 95 Kts Gust is exactly 109 Mph. Guess there won't be more wind reports from PGD now though...

 

[crash-proof]

Wow headed straight towards Orlando now. I understand it was a cat IV when it hit land...hope it disperses and slows down.

Good luck, MCO peeps!!!

 

[Sunnfun]

Looks like the storm is not loosing to much of it's power

KMCO 140113Z AUTO 15060G91KT 1SM R36R/2600VP6000FT +RA BR FEW002 BKN006 OVC010 23/23 A2907 RMK AO2 PK WND 12091/0105 PRESFR P0029 TSNO

KORL 140132Z 12053G74KT 3SM +RA BR BKN001 OVC007 23/23 A2899 RMK AO2 PK WND 12074/0129 PRESFR P0049 $

Good luck to everyone affected!

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

Dowtown ORL (Orlando Executive) got hit pretty good. Some of the hangers destroyed as well as the bugsmashers stored inside. Haven't made it out so I'm watching the news. Heard a rumour a DC-3 flipped over and went into some of the surrounding planes. Haven't heard or seen how MCO or SFB faired.

Talked to some people in north Orlando and south Orlando and they said lots of downed trees and lots of roofs messed up. Even heard there are trees "in" houses (not on!). A lot of Orlando still without power. Film at eleven.....

 

[pilotman2105]

Hurricane Chuck

I'm thinking that my trip to the Outer Banks of NC next week isn't looking so good. D*mn hurricane.

Better than living in FL I suppose.

Good luck to anyone down there.

 

[FracCapt]

Dowtown ORL (Orlando Executive) got hit pretty good. Some of the hangers destroyed as well as the bugsmashers stored inside. Haven't made it out so I'm watching the news. Heard a rumour a DC-3 flipped over and went into some of the surrounding planes.

It's true...I saw it for myself. Probably 50%+ of the aircraft on the field that were outside have quite significant damage. I saw 20 or 30 light planes laying upside down. Several were tossed through the airport fences. A few hangars collapsed, many hangars had doors that collapsed(but the structure remained). The DC3 is in what used to be a maintenance hangar, where it brought down the hangar and destroyed a few airplanes and a helicopter inside. It was a devastating blow for ORL.

All over the area trees are uprooted and laying down, power lines are down, traffic signals are gone(not just not working, not just knocked down, but gone). But....on the bright side....DISNEY IS OPEN! Yes, I'm serious. I guess it at least gets the tourists out of our hair while we clean up.

 

[Bandit60]

Last night I rode out the storm. The eye wall hit my house but we were lucky and didn't have much damage. I got so lucky. Everyone around me got damage.

 

[crash-proof]

15 dead, so far

And it could get worse, when they go thru all the downed houses.

By the way, there's another one headed our way, tropical storm Earl. Could make it to florida in another week.

 

[Tripower455]

Last night I rode out the storm. The eye wall hit my house but we were lucky and didn't have much damage. I got so lucky. Everyone around me got damage.

We got lucky too (in Naples)! One small tree fell on the swing set and we lost power for 19 hours (I am soooooo glad I bought a generator a few years ago!).

My prayers go out to the folks in Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda etc.......

 

[Flight_Line]

Some pictures of PGD taken by a friend of mine today.

http://photos.yahoo.com/flunkn2000

 

[Sunnfun]

Some pictures of PGD taken by a friend of mine today.

http://photos.yahoo.com/flunkn2000

Those are some nasty pictures...

I remember seeing the bald-eagle 402 being pushed through the grass by the wind on CNN... Sideways! Was it damaged?

 

[Hovernut]

Direct Hit

I was backpacking in the Mt. Baker wilderness in WA for almost a week and came down off the mountain Friday to find to my disbelief that Charlie was tracking right up US 17/92 in Orlando over my mom's house! What a feeling of helplesness...seeing everything happening on The Weather Channel and Orlando's channel 2 which was streaming over the net. All's I could do was talk to my mom and sister on the landline to feed them information while they rode out the storm in an interior hallway surrounded by mattresses.

My mom's house made it though unscathed, but both of my sisters' houses took tree damage. I had my brother-in-law take the tarp off my hovercraft so it would fill with rainwater and weigh it down to keep from blowing away....it worked!

Hopefully those in the heaviest hit areas sustain minimal casualties and can get their lives together as soon as possible. We feel extremely fortunate to have fared as well as we did, being right in the line of fire.

 

[sky37d]

I read on ANN that ERAU lost a bunch of planes.

They got some twins into hangars, and the hangar is damaged.

 

[learflyer]

Some pictures of PGD taken by a friend of mine today.

http://photos.yahoo.com/flunkn2000

Boy, those pics really hit home. That is such a beautiful and peaceful airport. I learned how to fly there back in 1991-1992. Got all of my ratings there at the old "professional aviation". Then they hired me back as and instructor from 95-97. It is just so sad to see the old sights of that place (hangars, etc) that I used to frequent that are now destroyed.

 

[groundpointsix]

Rode out the storm at my parents' house near Southport, NC. Winds were only a minimal hurricane at that point, but still the most intense weather event I've ever seen. Only lost part of a screen door though, some downed trees and lost shingles, but no significant damage other than a washed out road along the beach. Figures the one weekend I go visit them that the hurricane comes.

 

[Flight_Line]

[font=&quot]Fortunately or not, the 402 didn't look too badly damaged all things considered. Scraped up paint, dinged tip tanks, busted windscreen with a good sized dent in the frame, left flap actuator rods snapped, messed up control surfaces. As for the rest of the airport. Those pictures don't nearly convey the amount of destruction. Something like 90% of all the airport lighting is out. Most of the buildings will probably come down as well. The operations guys told me they are still missing airplanes. There is one picture with a dresser, a car and a bunch of other junk. That is what is left of what used to be a row of T hangars. Hangars 1-8 are now literally gone. All that is left is an outline of the building. I do want to thank the people at Miami FSS as well as Silver Express and the folks from Tamiami. Tom flew up to PGD with a 172 load of relief supplies yesterday that had been collected by Miami FSS plus some other much needed things that he had donated as well. I know that The people from Kendall-Tamiami made at least 3 different airports that sent relief supplies and I don't know who the others were so if I didn't mention someone please don't feel offended. Thanks to all who sent help.
[/font]

 

[Bandit60]

I read on ANN that ERAU lost a bunch of planes.

They got some twins into hangars, and the hangar is damaged.

I think the report is wrong. I know of one twin that had its tail torn off. Some other Cessna's got minor damage. I did see one hangar on the field that had a Citation in it with 2 other airplanes on top of it and the hangar doors ripped off.