Tornado Below (1975)

[Music] back easy but you don't have to do that about for some months now Cindy Carter has lived looking forward to each Saturday that's when she takes flying lessons at the Centerville airport this particular Saturday she is hoping it will be one she would never forget should I head right out to [Music] the all set a happy girl a bit of a giggler with little on her mind right now except her flying and the possibility she might solo today yet within 2 hours she will face the greatest challenge of her [Music] life I [Music] [Music] it seems a fine day for flying calm air and no low hanging clouds but appearances can be deceiving a low pressure system is drawing in warm exceptionally moist surface air from the Gulf of Mexico with lowlevel very dry hot air from the southwest and cold dry surface air from the north unaware of the dramatic weather changes just over the horizon Cindy and her instructor continue the lesson throttle back nose up smoothly until the wings quit [Music] flying full power nose bag up to the Horizon hey I did that one real nice didn't I and then that breath stopping moment every student student pilot waits for when the instructor says make this a good landing and you can let me out you're ready to [Music] solo that's good okay just go out and come back okay all right yeah call in if you have any trouble right be [Music] careful a joyous moment never to be forgotten alone in control a powerful engine throbbing up front an empty sky above all's right with the world or so it seems as the hot dry air mass meets the moist Gulf Air a Squall line forms turbulence grows as the cold front moves in as these storms move into the influence of the strong jet stream Aloft they can become more intense these are the ingredients needed to trigger tornadoes trying to expect the unexpected weathermen today have the incredible advantage of being able to see the weather from high above one of the enormous benefits that has come come from our space research program conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [Music] NASA though tornadoes remain largely a mystery in laboratory work sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA actual baby tornadoes are created for extensive study to help help men better understand the nature of these [Music] phenomena but the real thing is still beyond the control of men across the state far from Cindy the first tornado of the day forms and quickly dies but the storm cloud that spawned it lives on building with power from the Sun and unstable air as it moves towards its Destiny in Centerville fortunately the ominous signs of potential danger have been spotted by weather satellites and relay to the severe weather center in Kansas City in a given year more than 600 tornadoes can be expected to touch down in the United States though prevailing temperatures and air currents make the Central States most vulnerable tornadoes can happen any place at any time day or night the clouds are a concern for Cindy's instructor she must be warned so she can land before the storm moves in 55975 do you read 9er 40 Cherokee 55 ner 7 intent on her solo flying Cindy has her radio turned off and cannot hear the urgent call [Music] here's a weather bulletin just in folks the national weather service has just issued a tornado warning for our area Satellite photographs and ground observation indicates that the storm system now moving our way may produce a tornado at any time five do you read 9 and 40 Cherokee 55 Niner 75 do you read ner 40 9 for I was just about to give you a call it's getting kind of bumpy out here sendy where are you right now uh in the practice area uh near the old water tower okay listen very carefully we've got a Squall line moving in here with tornado warnings and it's almost on us what's your heading right now uh 295 did you see the road down to your right no I oh yeah I see it now okay listen very carefully that road goes to belon and they have a Unicom there and a man on the field follow the road to belon contact them on Unicom and they'll help you get down you understand okay yeah good girl flying to safety away from the storm Cindy now faces the challenge of making her first solo landing at an unfamiliar field the airport just about half a mile 34 of a mile away that's good now we're about 30° more to the left I want you to come around to the left about 30 more degrees and then try to line it up on final now you'll be landing on 2300 ft there's a little bit of a hill here but we run airplanes in and out of here every day so it's all right now you got trees and wires over your threshold so I want you to come in with power on and bring it in just a little bit High I want you to make sure that you clear those trees all right look now bring it around about 30 more de to the left you're a little low Cindy get some power in there but keep your speed up too very good gently gently does it now nice and easy does it bring it around bring it around to the left a little more okay on now you're lined up with the runway nice and easy Des drop the right wing get the right wing down now Cindy very good okay now listen full flaps no no no watch watch those movements add some power now don't start your flare yet don't start your flare keep your speed up keep your speed up okay now back on the stick and cut the power cut the power and hold that stick all the way back looking real good looking good looking good just fine now start to apply your brakes start to ply your brakes hold it stick all the way back You've Got It Made Cindy you're in thanks for the help but now you have to throne my folks no the tornadoes knocked down all the lies to Centerville but uh you come on in here and have a cup of coffee we'll get a way of communicating all right okay the storm once again goes through an eerie gation inside the air has begun a violent upward spiral until a funnel cloud innocent looking but deadly a tornado with winds that may reach 300 M hour it's just a curiosity till it touches down to earth then anything in its path may be totally destroyed the most violent and unpredictable storm in nature attention this is a tornado alert a tornado has just been spotted take cover immediately we repeat this is a tornado alert take cover immediately [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] the next day Cindy brings the airplane back home through now quiet Skies over Centerville she finds a different town than she left yesterday then it was like a thousand others today [Music] incredible as it seems yesterday's tornado lasted but a few minutes and covered only a few miles but left in its wake the tragic scars of unbelievable violence and their lights across the street ran out went out priz before we ran and you got under the bed the kids did I couldn't get under there they just sounded like a big boid in The Hil and the top of the scater and everything started piling in on top of it what did it sound like last night when the storm started well it went Goose goose stop the wall and Goose we was in that little storm cell and that's just the way it sounded and the hail seemed like that big on that Cellar [Music] Door and the newsman from the local radio station has located Cindy's parents and relayed word She is safe but now you have a pile of rubble that uh you once lovingly and fondly called a home what do you do now well really that's just junk we've got our kids we're lucky we really are now aware of her parents safety Cindy can finally relax it's been a narrow Escape but fortunately this time there was just enough of a warning to save many lives and tomorrow may bring even more advanced warning techniques to help forecast exactly when and where tornadoes will strike meanwhile the satellites developed by NASA will continue to look for the tornado below [Music] oh [Music]