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I have originally put together this web site back in 1996 telling you a little about myself. Since then, it has outgrown so many "hosts" that it needed a final home as "Sky-Chaser"! This should be an easy name to remember for flying, skydiving, and storm chasing. I am a computer programmer, writer, sky diver, amateur photographer, extreme storm journalist, and computer artist. I enjoy flying and aerobatics, boating and jet skis, surfing, HAM radio, skydiving, and videography. I am also a volunteer SKYWARN storm spotter for the National Weather Service as well as a licensed HAM radio operator. "Sky-Chaser" Consulting, as this site reflects from a business standpoint, mainly specializes in storm chasing, hurricane chasing, and other documentation of extreme weather events for media, educational, charity / benefits, and public awareness goals. This site also contains my computer consulting services in PICK (Universe, Unidata, and similar Multivalue-DB oriented) programming for many major business requirements. The "Sky-Chaser" site also has lots of information about my other sports, hobbies, and lifestyles besides storm journalism and computer consulting. I feel you should enjoy or even be able to utilize some of the areas on this web site for anything from education to entertainment ... And be sure check back often, because it is updated on a continuous basis! |
Chris Collura - KG4PJN - Skywarn FL B036 - Sky-Chaser Consulting
Last Major Site Update: Tuesday, August 26, 2008
ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON 2008
Hurricane season 2008 is HERE! Keep up to date with my hurricane chasing prospects in 2008 as the Atlantic Hurricane Season reaches its high-points in August and September 2008! Be sure to check out any interceptions and many interesting topics on tropical weather in my STORM CHASING section of this site. Be sure to check out a special page showing tropical activity ... You can also jump right to that section by clicking the link HERE!
TROPICAL STORM FAY - FROM TOP TO BOTTOM!
The images above show two interesting aspects of tropical storm Fay. The top image is a panoramic view of the circulation center of Fay, taken on August 22, viewed from a commercial jet aircraft flying over the storm at about 38,000 feet! The bottom diagram pertains to the chase conducted earlier on Fay as it made landfall in SW Florida on August 19. Click the top or bottom image to visit my section on tropical storm Fay in the STORM CHASING section of this site! You can also go right there by clicking HERE
Tropical storm Fay was an interesting storm because it made MANY landfalls (2 in the Caribbean, and 4 in Florida alone) and had a very strange track from August 15 through August 24. In Florida, it made landfall near Key West, then on the SW Florida coast, then re-emerged into the ocean near Cape Canaveral, only to make a third landfall near Daytona Beach, cross the state, then re-emerge over the NE Gulf of Mexico, and make a final landfall near the FL Panhandle. The storm packed winds up to 65-MPH and dumped over 20 inches of rain in less than a weeks time during its chaotic path across the state of Florida.
HURRICANE DOLLY HITS TEXAS
The Atlantic hurricane season of 2008 came alive on July 23 with a vengence as Hurricane Dolly, the first hurricane to strike the US in 2008, came ashore in Texas just north of the Mexico / US border at about 2 PM CDT packing winds of 100-MPH. This is a category-2 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. I was not able to intercept this storm (unfortunately) but you can check out the tropical season of 2008 by a special section called "TROPICS" in the STORM CHASING area of this site. The tropics will continually be monitored in 2008 for any activity to study or even intercept! You can also jump right to the tropical section by clicking the link HERE!
"LIQUID-SKY" SKYDIVING BOOGIE - JULY 18-20, 2008
The "Liquid-Sky" skydiving boogie (special event) was from July 18-20 in Clewiston, Florida at Air Adventures skydiving. This event included some hot summer skydiving fun, as well as aerobatic rides! You can check the SKYDIVING and FLYING sections of this site for pictures and details on this fun event. You can also check out the FLYING section by clicking the link HERE or (for the SKYDIVING section) by clicking the link HERE.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRIP - JULY 2008
Southern California is a place in the United States that has "something for everyone". Besides the most obvious "Hollywood" and "Beverly Hills", no one can ignore the collaberation of culture and diversity in this area. Southern California also offers a lifestyle like no other, from beaches to theme parks. Be sure to check out what visiting (or living in) california is like by checking out the OUTDOORS section of this site. You can also check out the section by clicking the link HERE.
WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS - CANADA - JULY 2008
Canada is noted for its impressive beauty and appeal to the outdoor adventurer and sportsman alike. In the pictures above, you can see and almost feel the power of the Niagara River aboard a jet boat specially designed to drive right THROUGH class-5 rapids! Check out many pictures of Canada and many other exciting destinations by checking out the OUTDOORS section of this site. You can also check out the section by clicking the link HERE.
STORMS - JUNE 22, 2008 (Indiana)
A "suprise" chase was conducted with the start of the summer season in northern Illinois / Indiana on June 22, 2008 with a buddy of mine who "always wanted" to ride along on a storm chase with me! Not expecting much, we both were awarded with a pretty little supercell storm that put out hail up to golfball sized (near Pulawski, Indiana). A small chase log has been added to the LARGE section for the MIDWEST 2008 chase logs in the STORM CHASING section of this web site. You can go right to the case details for June 22 by clicking the link provided HERE.
Sample of footage is live on YouTube showing the tornadoes near Quinter, Kansas on May 23, 2008 - This includes the mile+ wide wedge tornado that was rated EF-4! Please check it out by clicking the banner above or by clicking HERE. For media inquiries, please contact me via my email at the end of this page.
I have finished a fantastic storm chasing trip in the central USA (Tornado Alley) from May 19 through June 1. The overall pattern for severe weather in this region was very active and many tornadoes have been intercepted during the trip! Information on this storm chasing trip is available in the STORM CHASING section for MIDWEST CHASE LOG 2008, which can also be viewed by clicking HERE.
20 YEARS OF STORM CHASING DVD - NEW!
Now available - "20 years Of Storm Chasing" - A new DVD showing all storm chases from 1987 through 2007! This new DVD has it all - Hurricanes, hail, tornadoes, thunderstorms, lightning, atmospheric phenomena, and much more! From Florida to California, Central America / Mexico to the Canada Border, extreme weather is captured on this documentary. See storms from the air, the Hurricane Hunters, and frightful air-travel. See the largest storm surge ever in the USA with Katrina, and the widest tornado scouring away a small Nebraska village in 2004! Look up into the calm eye of a hurricane and see the blue sky overhead, only to be sand-blasted by the storms second half afterwards - Just a few things this DVD has in store for you!
For more information on this new DVD project just released, and how to order a copy of it for yourself, please click the image above, or click the link HERE to learn more! Price is $25.95, and that includes shipping!
See the chases for the year 2007 in my yearly chase log (this chase log contains ALL the storms I ever chased in my life) and is a must see. Check it out in the STORM CHASING section of this web site, or for the direct link to it, click HERE!
We are pleased to now be able to offer high-quality digital stock photography for royalty-free usage! For more details, please check the special OFFERS section of this site and look for the digital photography link, or simply click the link HERE to go right to it!
Sky-Chaser BLOG Page
Airshow! Aviation At Its Finest
Alcatraz Island And Prison (New!)
America - Tributes Plus September 11, 2001
Art And Drawings Gallery
Aviation And Flying
Car Burglary At Miami TGI Friday's
Chris Collura's Career RESUME
Goodies And Cool Stuff
Information On Diabetes
Internet Fraud - Always A First Time!
Outdoor Activities And Boating
Pets And Animals Page
Roller Coasters And Extreme Rides
Sky Diving And Other Extreme Sports
Software Products Page
Special Offers And Media Sales Page
Storm Chasing By Chris Collura
Surviving A Roll-Over Car Accident (New!)
Tesla Coils Plus "Weird Science" Stuff
All of my stock-video footage is also managed by my agents at Conus Communications. Please refer to CONUS first as they can be of much better help at providing any fulfillment of STOCK video requests (this does NOT include DVD productions offered on this site). For such STOCK footage requests, please contact Chris Bridson at CONUS. Their phone number is (651) 642-4576, or you can go to their official web site at the link WWW.CONUS.COM.
You can review all production videos, DVD's, documentaries, and stock video on my OFFERS page which can be viewed by clicking the link HERE. Please not that you can request STOCK video through me directly, or through the CONUS archive, which is much easier!
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"I Thrilled All The Visitors Below!"
View Information About The Author Of This Site
This entire web site is the work of Christopher Collura (myself) and is intended for informative, entertainment, and educational purposes. The intent is to show the pure thrill and essence of natural phenomina, extreme sports, experiences, and many other unique things or events, many from viewer's perspective. Please click the link above to find out more information about myself, the author of this great web site.
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