NOTE: AS MOST OF YOU HAVE NOTICED, WHI HAS BEEN INACTIVE FOR SOMETIME NOW. THIS IS DUE TO A SERIES OF EVENTS WHICH I WILL NOT BORE YOU WITH. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE WHI CONCEPT IS NOT DEAD. AS YOU READ THIS, THE WHI ADMINISTRATION IS WORKING WITH THE ADMINISTRATION AT SIMNASA (www.simnasa.org) TO CREATE THE SimNASA vNWS OR NASA WEATHER SERVICE. THIS NEW SimNASA DIVISION WILL CONTINUE THE MISSIONS ENVISIONED HERE AND ADD A HOST OF MISSIONS RELATED TO THE SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAMS AT SimNASA. THE NEW DIVISION WILL BE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF DR. DONNIE TIDWELL, WHO WILL SERVE AS DIRECTOR AND SimNASA's CHIEF METEOROLOGIST. WITH A PhD IN METEOROLOGY, DR. TIDWELL BRINGS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND PLANS FOR THOSE WHO LOVE BOTH FLYING AND WEATHER. SO WATCH THIS SITE AND THE SimNASA SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

ALL CORRESPONDENCE RELATED TO WHI SHOULD NOW BE FORWARDED TO DR. TIDWELL. HE WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH AN UPDATE OF THE STATUS OF THE NEW SIMNASA DIVISION AND ANSWER ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS. HE CAN BE REACHED AT weather@simnasa.org

But we're not a "conventional" VA—we simulate flying in the World's worst weather conditions. Not only to make the flight simulation experience more exciting—though it is that—but to present a flying environment that will challenge you to become highly proficient in navigating and handling our specialized aircraft in the most adverse conditions imaginable!

Our objective, of course, is to have fun! You'll enjoy meeting and sharing experiences with a group of motivated pilots and an enthusiastic management. Our "missions" have been carefully thought out, and our "schedule" is determined by real world weather events. There's a great stable of special-purpose aircraft available for download in our hangar, and you'll have access to suitable charts and scenery add-ons for Microsoft's Flight Simulator 2000 to enjoy reproducing real world hurricane and typhoon surveillance, and similar weather reconnaissance functions as conducted by the US NOAA and similar agencies around the world. We've structured WHI and its resources to help you learn and share the "feel" of real world 'hurricane hunting'.

Your management team is especially qualified to bring you an unprecedented level of weather-based flying. One of its precursors is Commander Chuck Boudreaux' Aviation Simulation Weather Service published by AVSIM Online, where Chuck serves as Associate Editor. You'll also find the "Weather Data Jump" there where you download current weather conditions—for METAR data, surface condition reports, data on conditions aloft, the jet stream, and even radar and satellite imagery—all from a growing number of world-wide online sources. Commander Mike Putnam contributes his exceptional experience, both as Avsim's "VA World" Managing Editor, and as the founder and principal of a successful virtual airline. Commander Maury Pratt rounds up the WHI founding management staff with long experience in evaluating commercial and third-party freeware aircraft, panels, scenery and utility software as Avsim's Managing Editor - Reviews. Commander Robert Kirkland, who serves as Deputy Flight/Meteorological Officer - Fleet Operations (and is Avsim's Sr. Managing Editor and is a principal member of the Phoenix Simulations Software team) develops and/or modifies WHI's aircraft fleet.

We hope you'll find the WHI web site both informative and easy to navigate—just click on the destination links above to the right. Please give us your feedback in our dedicated message board, and share your flying adventures in our special "What I Learned About Weather" page. To prospective pilots: if you think this is what you're looking for, check out our web site, and then go to our FBO division. There you'll find all you need to apply, and once accepted, begin our unique training program and sign up for one of our Base Operations Centers. Old hands will find the Pilot Roster for each Operations Center, PIREP reporting, and their current rank and cumulative flight flight hours posted.

Welcome to Weather Hunters International!