Its technical name is O.Z. (Observation Zero); its affectionate name is "The
Tin Man." Patent pending.
I have been working on a project for quite some time now. The brainstorm
started on the way home from last year's chase. Steve Chambers and I were
talking about how cool it would be to get photos and/or videos of a twister
from an up-close and personal perspective.
Well, how do a photojournalist and a construction-supply specialist come to
the answer to that question? Drive 700 miles, deprive oneself of valuable
sleep -- and daydream. We both knew that it would take a clear dome, and Steve
thought he could solve that problem with some of his suppliers. DONE.
I knew I had the photo equipment to do the job, and a Wiz (pardon the pun) of
a father, Dale Detrich, who lives in Attica, Ohio. I knew he could make
anything, as far as mechanical things, that I could dream up. I was either
going to be an architect or a mechanical drawing specialist before I fell in
love with photography, -- so I sat down in front of the computer and drew out
some plans.
I received the O.Z. dome from Steve about a month or so ago and had to revise
my plans. The dome was not as deep as I thought it would be, and my
video camera was much too large.
My solution was to sell the video camera I had on last year's chase, and get a
smaller digital video camera for O.Z. So, after selling that camera outfit, I
sank $2000.00 into a new camera for the dome; thankfully it fit.
John Schultz, a friend of my father's who owns a metal-fabricating shop,
had my father make the aluminum base and ring that would hold down the
plastic dome. These two pieces were made out of 1/4 inch-thick aluminum.
The dome was glued to the aluminum with silicone rubber. The dome and
the ring sat on a full 28-inch diameter layer of butyl rubber which acts
as a gasket -- and the black rubber keeps reflections from the
aluminum base from appearing on the inside of the dome and interfering with
the video process.
The ring is held down by steel pieces that are anchored through the bottom of
the aluminum plate. The steel pieces are tightened down with wing nuts; when
the steel pieces swing sideways, they help to position the dome on the rubber
gasket.
Inside the dome, the camera, a Sony DCR PC100 digital video, will be
anchored to a piece of angle iron, bolted through the aluminum base.
There is a compass attached to the dome, just for reference, while deploying
O.Z.
O.Z. will feature holes in each of its six corners that will allow us to
anchor it in the ground either by pounding stakes into the soil or by using a powder-actuated gun to fire the bolts onto the ground.
We have also drilled six 1/8-inch holes in the base for pressure equalization.
If we are unable to anchor O.Z. well enough, I have included a
homing-beacon device that will emit a ping in a four-mile radius. Using an FM
radio, you should be able to locate the device.
O.Z. will travel to the Great Plains for deployment in May of this year.
Keep posted for details. - Allan Detrich