Welcome to WHI's Flight Operations Center!

This is your "home base" to apply for a flight crew position, develop critical skills for weather surveillance, check for currently active missions, visit the Basin Operations Centers for mission assignments, file your PIREPs and view your and your colleagues' progress at your Center Operations page.

The philosophy at WHI is to provide an environment where Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 pilots can have lots of fun, while becoming more proficient in a wide range of aircraft and learning more about tropical weather, severe weather phenomenon and aviation weather in general. All pilot callsigns will follow the template WH###, with the first being WH700.

WHI pilots must use Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000. While FS98 remains a viable platform, it does not offer the real world weather capabilities found in FS2000. Fly! II will be assessed once most of the bugs have been addressed. However, the add-ons will have to come a long way as well before the Fly! Platform will be considered. Pilots must have access to the Internet and the capability to capture real-time weather—both surface and winds aloft. The WHI Management Board recommends the use of the FS Meteo shareware weather capture program. WHI's in-flight data acquisition module is specifically designed for use with this program. However, any program that can provide comparable functions is acceptable. See "Personnel" for further information on pilot qualifications, flight crew application procedures and promotion requirements.

The WHI Training Center develops tests and check-ride criteria for the advancement of pilots. This includes the development of platform related and meteorological questions for tests. Training is essential to the safety and effectiveness of pilots flying into severe weather conditions. See "Training" for further information on training facilities.

Each of the theaters of operation will offer unique challenges to WHI pilots. The areas served by any given Operation Center will have unique weather patterns and thus very different weather phenomenon. It is important for a pilot to take some time to get to know the area where he wishes to fly. During the initial signup procedure, each pilot will choose among the active Operations Centers at that time. While this position may not be open immediately, every effort will be made to get the pilot there as quickly as possible. Management may have to shift personnel to other centers as conditions demand. However, such transfers will not go unrewarded and the pilot will be transferred to the center of his choice as soon as possible.

When a pilot elects to transfer to a given Operations Center and meets the applicable requirements, he must agree to spend at least three months there before another voluntary transfer is allowed. This restriction is solely to provide adequate time for a pilot to learn the basics about weather phenomenon in the areas served by the center.

See Center Operations for further information on Center activities, submitting PIREPs and for the Center flight crew rosters. Note: Senior Staff mission hours are posted in the Sr. Staff roster. Also see the Active Missions page for a list of currently available missions.