El Reno F5 tornado - 1st anniversary

[The War Wagon]

Just finished watching a Weather Channel special about that tornado - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=sfqqpbSU4jo - as it killed renowned scientist Tim Samaras, his son Paul, and meteorologist Carl Young.


And I think about you, my Ramcharger brothers, with MOST of you being in TX and other parts of tornado alley, a LOT this time of year.  I have half-jokingly expressed the desire to chase tornadoes in MY RC, since I have everything necessary to do so; a cb radio, a JVC Ensario Camcorder, and mad driving skills.     But I KNOW the RC is the wrong profile vehicle for heavy crosswinds, too lumbering to haul SERIOUS ass (for the moment...), and suitable - at best - for photographing them from many MILES away.


I've been watching Stormchasers, which ran for 6 season on NatGeo, on Youtube of late, as I never watched it back in the day.  I don't remember the series at the time (life - i.e., 'kids' - probably interfered, as it came on at 10pm), although I was fascinated by tornadoes over a decade before "Twister" hit the big screen (a 2 hour commercial for Gen.2 Dodge pickups!  ).  Dr. Samaras favored GM products - a reality that bit him in the ass on at least one episode.  The torque converter died in his 2500 series GMC chase truck, and sidelined him in a GM dealer for 2 days, while other chasers caught all the action.


And that love of GM products is the OTHER thing that cost him his life in the El Reno tornado.  He opted to try and miss the storm, by taking a dirt road, which turned into OK gumbo, and bogged down his chase vehicle THAT day, which was... a Chebby Cobalt! 





 


Some other members of his team had his big truck, on the other side of the storm that day, but I wouldn't chase a RAINBOW with a Chebby Cobalt, much less a 2.6 mile wide F5 tornado, with wind speeds of 300mph.  This is the same tornado that ate The Weather Channel's 4 door Blazer.







So to all my insane RC brothers... while we KNOW that tornadoes SHOULD run in fear of our fire-breathing, ass-kicking, name-taking, tornado-stomping rigs...  ... stay frosty out there, as tornado season is only about half done (we RARELY get one around here, but June is OUR peak month when we do).  Watch those dirt roads in bad weather, and should a tornado impudently DARE to come near you, batten down your hatches - so DEBRIS doesn't get heaped ON your RC, and maybe scratch the paint.  We can't afford to lose any more trucks.


Or you, either.   

[SixGun]

Cobalts must taste good.  That one took a serious munching.

[crazzywolfie]

personally i am not big fan of cars in general for the fact that when people get in an accident in a car they usually end up seriously/perminently injured or dead. crumple zone+ air bags= rolling coffin