A tornado emanating from the storm front surrounding Hurricane Gustav slammed into parts of Eglin AFB, Fla., Sept. 1, damaging homes and the base’s child development center. The funnel cloud touched down at about 9:45 a.m. local time on a base runway and then skirted through base housing, causing damage along the way. It continued south through base housing, uprooting trees in its path, before exiting over Choctawhatchee Bay. Thankfully, the CDC was closed due to the Labor Day holiday so no children were there. (Eglin report by Lois Walsh)
An Air Force F-16 pilot designed a collapsible ladder that weighs just six pounds and folds into the unused cockpit map case.