Challenging Air Force weather mission at Academy Published March 4, 2009 By Ryan Hansen Air Force Weather Agency Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) -- With an area of 18,000 acres, an elevation gain of 2,800 feet and Pikes Peak only 15 miles to the southwest, staying ahead of the weather here can be difficult. Add to that an airfield that relies heavily on weather conditions that allow pilots to land by looking outside the cockpit and you have arguably one of the most challenging weather missions in the Air Force. Facing these diverse conditions everyday from sunrise to sunset are the members of the 306th Operational Support Squadron weather flight. This team of eight contractors, through the airfield services element and mission weather element, are dedicated to providing the Academy family with the best weather information possible. "We have someone in our office at 3:30 in the morning to work with the 25th Operational Weather Squadron and determine what the day is going to look like," said Skip Evans, weather flight chief for the 306th OSS. "Once we get a good read on things we start preparing our mission execution forecasts." The group has a far reaching mission that is truly unique in the Air Force. It includes weather support to the Academy and its more than 4,200 cadets, the 10th Air Base Wing and its 2,100 personnel, and the 306th Flying Training Group, which has more than 50 weather-sensitive aircraft. "Nobody in the Air Force has this kind of mission," said Ruth Willems, who works in the airfield services element. "But I really like it and I'm glad to be at the Academy doing my part to help these future pilots." Providing support to the Academy means keeping the superintendent, commandant, air base wing commander and the flying training group commander in the loop on any potential weather issues. This includes not only day-to-day support, but also athletic events, commandant's challenge activities and various field training exercises among other things. "We have a lot of unique activities here that you don't see at a typical Air Force base," Mr. Evans said. "We have a lot going on throughout the year and if the cadets are out there in the elements, we are providing their weather support." Unlike most Air Force bases, the focus and mission of the Academy is strictly on academics and supporting the cadets. Therefore, the air base wing staff's job is to ensure that the faculty and support staff are able to get to the school, which means the weather flight must provide constant updates to the commander. "Most Air Force bases exist to support the airfield," said Mr. Evans, who is a retired chief master sergeant and has spent a career in Air Force weather. "However, here we exist to support the academic environment." While it may not be number one on the priority list, the Academy airfield is still a very important part of the base. It has a traffic count of more than 145,000 flights a year by seven different air frames like sailplanes for the cadet's soaring program, Cessna trainers for cadet flight training and UV-18A Twin Otters that are used for the cadet parachuting program. "Obviously gliders and parachutes have to land here if they're in the air, so it's absolutely critical that we stay ahead of the weather," Mr. Evans said. "We understand their mission and we're letting them know within a couple of minutes of what's going on," Ms. Willems said. "We need to be on top of things, providing that real-time information so they can make their decisions." Helping the flight provide the most up-to-date weather information are quite a few high-tech systems. This includes access to Doppler weather radar, a mesonet consisting of 12 high-wind alert system weather stations, a satellite communications lightning detection system and an automatic meteorological station. The team soon will be receiving the joint environmental toolkit. "This is probably one of the most challenging places to forecast that you can find," said Jeff Rosbach, a forecaster with the mission weather element. "Weather systems simply get lost in the mountains." Another concern for the flight is lightning. Colorado Springs is the lightning capital of Colorado and the academy averages more than 400 lightning warnings a year. "If we have cadets scattered out in the woods we want to be able to give the leadership 'lightning within 10,'" Mr. Evans said. "That gives them the chance to formulate a plan and then when lightning is within five, they can execute the plan." And as if the mission isn't far reaching enough, Academy officials have plans to add unmanned aircraft to the mix within the next year or so. "Once that program stands up and really matures, I think we'll see quite a few more challenges to our mission," Mr. Evans said. "But we'll simply adapt and make it work." So even with its unique mix of aircraft, ongoing extra-curricular activities and constantly changing weather conditions, the weather flight truly enjoys their mission, its diversity and is always up to the task. "It's good to be able to lay a solid foundation with these pilots," Mr. Rosbach said. "For those men and women this is the best place for them to learn to fly. Here they really get to see how the weather affects their aircraft." "We're providing real-time information, doing our part to keep the cadets safe," Ms. Willems said. "And we have one of the best views in the Air Force." 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