Photos by Senior Airman Jose L. Leon 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Staff Sgt. Raymond Rugenstein, 86th Operations Support Squadron weather flight weather forecaster, reads a hand-held manual weather sensor.
Airmen from the 86th Operations Support Squadron weather flight provide weather forecasts, warnings, watches and conditions for the KMC and worldwide through meteorological and aviation networks. The data collected is used to plan for missions. Wind direction information provided to air traffic controllers helps determine which direction aircraft will take off and land. The weather flight also relays severe weather information to help determine if aircraft need to be in hangars or evacuated to an alternate location. Tracking forecasts and reported conditions from around Europe in order to inform flights of potential hazards, the 86th OSS weather flight ensures operations are not in the dark about the weather.
Staff Sgt. Albert Gsell, 86th Operations Support Squadron weather flight weather forecaster, gathers information from a weather radar. As a member of the weather flight, Gsell uses weather forecasts from around Europe to create mission execution forecasts in support of training missions.
Tech. Sgt. Kristopher Bell, 86th Operations Support Squadron weather flight mission integration function NCO in charge, compares a landscape with the visibility binder photographs Sept. 27 on Ramstein. Visibility binders are used to gauge distances in foggy weather when the primary automatic weather sensing equipment is not in operation.
Staff Sgt. Albert Gsell, 86th Operations Support Squadron weather flight weather forecaster, operates a hand-held manual weather sensor Sept. 27 on Ramstein. The weather sensor is used as a backup to the primary weather sensors as a way to relay real-time data.
Staff Sgt. Albert Gsell, 86th Operations Support Squadron weather flight weather forecaster, uses a laser range finder to determine visibility levels Sept. 27 on Ramstein.
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