24 planes of Royal Rainmaking Department, Air Force deployed to seed clouds

[Jonathan Fairfield]

24 planes of Royal Rainmaking Department, Air Force deployed to seed clouds

 

 

The Royal Rainmaking Department has deployed all of its 22 planes to seed and attack clouds with support from two planes of the Royal Thai Air Force in an urgent operation to alleviate drought in many parts of the country.

 

The department, which is under the Agriculture Ministry, has 22 planes stationed at 11 rainmaking units in 13 provinces carry out operations urgently. Units also travel between provinces. 

 

The 13 provinces where the 11 rainmaking units are stationed or relocate back and forth are Chiang Mai, Phitsanulok, Tak, Lop Buri, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Surin, Sa Kaew, Surat Thani, Rayong and Nakhon Sawan.

 

The department uses 11 Caravan planes, 7 Casa planes, two Super King Air planes and two CN-235 planes and the Air Force is deploying BT-67 planes to join the operations.

 

The aim of the operations is to increase water in reservoirs where the level has dropped to below 30 per cent.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30373369

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-07-22

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[SammyT]

Is there a job title anywhere on earth cooler than "rain maker" or "rain man"?

[RotBenz8888]

5 minutes ago, SammyT said:

Is there a job title anywhere on earth cooler than "rain maker" or "rain man"?

But i would be more impressed by one who doesn't need an airplane to produce rain.

[intherealworld]

4 minutes ago, SammyT said:

Is there a job title anywhere on earth cooler than "rain maker" or "rain man"?

Yes

Gold Member. 

[wgdanson]

The BT67 planes mentioned are modified DC3s stationed at Phitsanulok. Basically 75 year old Dakotas with turbo-prop engines.

[Sticky Wicket]

10 minutes ago, SammyT said:

Is there a job title anywhere on earth cooler than "rain maker" or "rain man"?

yes

[Sticky Wicket]

Utter waste of time and money

[KhunBENQ]

I am afraid the fighter jets flying over this morning did nothing for rain

Edited July 22, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[Oziex1]

 

My sense of logic dictates, if this rain making is a winner then there would be no such thing as drought in Thailand or anywhere else. 

[ianezy0]

Cloud seeding was tried in Queensland in 2008.

From memory it wasn’t successful. Maybe the method has improved, maybe not.

 

[Gumballl]

All of this "praying" for rain is going to lead to one thing... floods. Then the Thai gov't will bring out their submarines and jettison huge sponges via the torpedo tubes.

[sammieuk1]

When this fails miserably they could try seeding cats and dogs ????

[smutcakes]

I presume there must be rain in the forecast so theh deploy the planes. They can then point to the rain making as a wonderful initiative from its initator......

[londonthai]

This very year they had already done over 3300 flights. 

So far no floods, so small chance their work. 

 

Say 9900h of flying and 100 tons of airplane fuel doesnt pay back

Edited July 22, 2019 by londonthai

[Creasy]

Nearly as bad an idea as the drones spraying molasses to reduce air pollution 

[Isaanbiker]

49 minutes ago, ianezy0 said:

Cloud seeding was tried in Queensland in 2008.

From memory it wasn’t successful. Maybe the method has improved, maybe not.

 

Nope, it hasn't improved since then. Not too long ago, the whole "rainmaking" had stopped because all planes had crashed and many pilots have died.

 

  Anyway, if there are clouds, a bit of phosphor might not do the trick and phosphor always comes down again.

 

 It doesn't make much sense, chances of a Bangfai hitting a cloud are much higher. TIT.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[DNPBC0]

On the basis of what scientific evidence does the Royal Rain Making Department consider cloud seeding to be effective?

 

[Eligius]

5 minutes ago, DNPBC0 said:

On the basis of what scientific evidence does the Royal Rain Making Department consider cloud seeding to be effective?

 

Do not criticise it. It originally issued long ago from a source that you should not criticise. I am sure it is a marvellously efficacious rain-making method. It must be. Of course it is. We cannot have any doubt of this!

[rgrdns]

RTAF bomber squadrons on the way....

[DrTuner]

3 hours ago, SammyT said:

Is there a job title anywhere on earth cooler than "rain maker" or "rain man"?

 

Yeah, pretty cool.

[Cake Monster]

And several Hundred people have been ordered to dance around a dead Pig with their hair Dyed Pink, and a lit cigarette sticking out of their left Nostril to guarantee the Rain.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, SammyT said:

Is there a job title anywhere on earth cooler than "rain maker" or "rain man"?

Sean Connery as James Bond 007... his secretaries name was Pu**y Galore !

[Nowisee]

2 hours ago, DNPBC0 said:

On the basis of what scientific evidence does the Royal Rain Making Department consider cloud seeding to be effective?

 

Doesn't stop them all from proudly wearing their RRMD wings on their uniforms, right next to the jump wings and the scuba wings and the ninja badge and the ...

 

 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Nowisee

[TeaMonkey]

Let me guess. Amulets hanging from the planes windscreen and dropping stuffed toy cats onto the clouds. 

[geoffbezoz]

4 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

Utter waste of time and money

You know that and I know that but sometimes scientific facts and popular belief are at odds in Thailand

[overherebc]

4 hours ago, wgdanson said:

The BT67 planes mentioned are modified DC3s stationed at Phitsanulok. Basically 75 year old Dakotas with turbo-prop engines.

Sometimes things get designed and  made that just go on and on and can be fixed with an adjustable spanner and a good pair of pliers. ????

Edited July 22, 2019 by overherebc

[ianezy0]

3 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

Nope, it hasn't improved since then. Not too long ago, the whole "rainmaking" had stopped because all planes had crashed and many pilots have died.

 

  Anyway, if there are clouds, a bit of phosphor might not do the trick and phosphor always comes down again.

 

 It doesn't make much sense, chances of a Bangfai hitting a cloud are much higher. TIT.

Doesn’t surprise me. BTW the following chemicals usually used for seeding: silver iodide, potassium iodide and dry ice. Cheers

[wgdanson]

2 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Sometimes things get designed and  made that just go on and on and can be fixed with an adjustable spanner and a good pair of pliers. ????

A Fender Stratocaster being another, well a Phillips scrwedriver !   LOL

[wgdanson]

2 minutes ago, ianezy0 said:

Doesn’t surprise me. BTW the following chemicals usually used for seeding: silver iodide, potassium iodide and dry ice. Cheers

And I read table salt !

[overherebc]

11 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

And I read table salt !

Only if you want chips with it.