When you're on the road chasing tornadoes for a week or two, the vehicle you ride in becomes extremely important. Ever since our inception in 1999, F5! has been driving the most comfortable and safest vehicle on the road, the Suburban. As a result, our tours have limited seating as we only allow up to four clients per Suburban, along with one meteorologist and a driver. This setup offers our valued clients much more comfort, safety and personal exposure to our staff of expert meteorologists. This is a high-class operation!

Experienced Meteorologists on Every Tour: Our chase team includes experienced storm chasers who are also degreed meteorologists or military trained forecasters. Our staff of meteorologists use a balance of significant chase experience, technical knowledge, higher education, and our seasoned gut feelings to put ourselves in the right place at the right time. Our on-board real-time Doppler Radar imagery means we don't depend on The Weather Channel or outside services that cater to amateur chasers. We depend on our F5! team of experts in the field along with our network of in-house meteorologists.

Our Network of Meteorologists: To complement our on-board meteorologists and offer second opinions and real-time NOWCASTING support, we have a network of meteorologists available for us in several locations across the country. Our in-house meteorologists provide the on-board meteorologists with additional analysis of the daily forecast, real-time weather data while on the road, and anything else we need while in motion. Our additional weather support gives us access to everything from real-time Doppler radar, real-time lightning strike information, satellite imagery and all the surface and upper level weather data and computer models available. This is one of the biggest advantages of our tours: we always have access to critical information. Since weather forecasting and real-time operational weather support is our business year-round, our staff is always prepared and ready with the latest information for the F5! chase team. A combination of real-time weather support and on-board technology means our meteorologists and clients get the best chance to see the next big storm up close and personal!

On-Board Technology: Our Suburbans are equipped with a host of high-tech instruments that keep us informed of the latest severe weather developments and our exact location at all times. Our vehicles include real-time satellite delivered Doppler Radar and a ham radio for reporting and listening to local severe weather information. We also use several digital cell phones to remain in contact with our real-time support staff and for backup dial-up internet access. IN addition to satellite delivered Doppler radar and other surface weather data, we have high-speed wireless internet access almost everywhere in the country. Our laptop computer displays the radar imagery and other critical time-sensitive data. All watches, warnings and other essential weather information is collected by NOAA weather radio and through our network of meteorologists. We use G.P.S. navigation so we never get lost on country roads in the middle of nowhere. We also carry a scanner, digital video camera, several types of cameras and even a first aid kit. Incidentally, we also bring along plenty of things to do as we wait for storm initiation, such as movies (for watching through our in-vehicle DVD system), board games, electronic games and our own well-traveled stimulating conversation about the midwest. For those interested in reading, we also bring along a large collection of weather books for obtaining some book smarts to match up with the live "in-the-field" education you are sure to get with our staff.

Chase Vehicle Safety: As mentioned above, we use Suburbans exclusively and keep the chase vehicle in prime shape all year round. Beyond the comfort and the personal style these 4-wheel drive trucks provide our clients, Suburbans also offer maximum safety and durability during severe weather. Suburbans are one of the biggest and heaviest vehicles on the road. They have a very low center of gravity, so they never flip or get blown off the road in high winds--unlike the top-heavy 15-passenger vans other companies use. Their passenger vans require special federal rules and regulations due to their unsafe history. Most our tour drivers have been with F5! from the very beginning, eight years ago, so they have extensive knowledge of the region and understand how to drive in heavy weather safely. Although viewing tornadoes is the main objective of the tours, safety is always considered our top priority.

Learn Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Weather in a Week: Our meteorologists love spending time with clients and explaining the processes that are taking place in the atmosphere to generate such huge, awe-inspiring, beautiful storms. You'll get in-depth explanations fro every stage of the game, from the forecast in the hotel room to the play-by-play as the storms drop tornadoes. Our meteorologists enjoy sharing our knowledge with clients who love the weather as much as we do. After joining our tour, you'll take home a thorough knowledge of how the atmosphere works and a long-lasting friendship. We encourage questions and will provide additional documentation to help explain the weather during the trip. Although our focus on these safaris is to witness the development and life cycle of a tornado, we also take pride in the education our meteorologists provide. By limiting the number of clients per Suburban, you will get all the personal attention you desire.

Bonus Addition to the F5! Team: Ever since 2002, F5! has also been the tour company of choice for Geoff Mackley, a world-famous storm-chasing photographer and film maker. We find the tornadoes and Geoff gets the best video and photos possible! Geoff also provides most of the video and pictures for the year-end season highlight video we provide our tour guests. Along with F5!, Geoff has also been featured on several programs for the Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel and many other shows featuring video and photos from tornadoes, hurricanes and volcanoes across the world. You can visit his official website at www.rambocam.com and meet him in person on our tour!