SRV Dominator

The SRV Dominator is the name given to a series of vehicles used for storm chasing, as featured on the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers (SRV stands for Storm Research Vehicle). In April 2013, Reed Timmer, designer and operator of all three Dominator vehicles joined KFOR-TV's 4WARN Storm Team, all three vehicles collectively referred to by the station as "Dominator 4".[1]

SRV Dominator
Overview
Designer	Reed Timmer, Kevin Barton, Terry Rosema
Body and chassis
Class	First Generation Storm Research Vehicle
Powertrain
Engine	Stock V-8, gasoline
Transmission	Automatic
Dimensions
Curb weight	8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	Stock 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe truck

The Dominator

The Dominator was modified from a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe that was used during the 2008 storm chasing season and debuted in the 2009 chase season. The modifications included adding bulletproof sheet metal and transparent Lexan armor to protect against flying debris near tornadoes, and an external roll cage and racing-style safety harnesses in case of a vehicle roll.[2] The SRV is not designed to intercept (due mainly to a lack of an anchoring system as employed on the TIV 2) but is able to get as close as "humanly possible" to tornadoes. In 2009, a tornado in Aurora, Nebraska unexpectedly strengthened right over the Dominator and blew out the driver's window, when its exterior Lexan window failed to roll up. Reed Timmer and one of his passengers suffered lacerations to the face from flying glass.[3]

During the Off-Season in 2009, the Dominator was upgraded by strengthening bulletproof sheet metal and transparent Lexan armor. Further upgrades added mid-season include a vertically-scanning radar intended to profile the winds at different heights within a tornado, as well as compressed-air launchers intended to launch wireless parachute probes to gather and transmit data on tornadoes to a chase. In the 2010 Season, the Dominator was sliding all over the highway, while intercepting a massive EF-4 Tornado in Wadena, Minnesota nearly ending in a disaster.[4] During the 2011 storm season, the Dominator suffered various mechanical issues, including brake and hydraulic system failures, and the Lexan protecting the driver's side window not fully closing.

Dominator 2

SRV Dominator 2
Overview
Designer	Reed Timmer, Kevin Barton
Body and chassis
Class	Second Generation Storm Research Vehicle
Powertrain
Engine	Stock V-8 Flex-Fuel Engine
Transmission	Automatic Transmission
Chronology
Predecessor	Stock 2011 Yukon XL

In early 2011, Timmer and other members of TVN purchased a 2011 GMC Yukon XL, which would be the base vehicle for a second Dominator vehicle named Dominator 2. Changes from the first Dominator are said to include a flex fuel engine, improved aerodynamic streamlining, swiveling rear passenger seats, improved hydraulics, and upgraded armor protection as well as anchoring spikes that could allow it to engage tornadoes stronger than those the original Dominator could safely face. Timmer also stated that both vehicles would be used with one going into tornadoes to gather data from inside the funnel while the other would collect data from just outside the tornado, with the intention of comparing the two sets of data.[5] The second generation Dominator features reinforced sheet metal and transparent Lexan has been strengthened with higher-quality steel and an additional LINE-X coating. This shell is firmly affixed to the frame and chassis of the GMC Yukon. The new model retains a roll cage and racing-car safety seats with full-torso belts for added crew protection.[6]

Dominator 2 first saw action during the tornado outbreak sequence of May 21–26, 2011 in central Oklahoma, shown on the fifth season of Storm Chasers.

On May 31, 2013, Dominator 2 was damaged when it intercepted a record breaking multiple-vortex tornado near El Reno. According to KFOR-TV and posts by Reed on Facebook, the hood was ripped off of the vehicle. The tornado would go on to be 2.6 miles (4.2 km) wide with winds measured by radar exceeding 290 mph (470 km/h) (at about 100 m (330 ft) above the surface), making this the largest and strongest tornado ever intercepted by any of the Dominator vehicles.[7]

Dominator 3

SRV Dominator 3
Overview
Designer	Reed Timmer, Kevin Barton
Body and chassis
Class	Third Generation Storm Research Vehicle
Powertrain
Engine	Stock Power Stroke Turbocharged Diesel V8
Transmission	Automatic Transmission
Chronology
Predecessor	Stock 2013 Super Duty

A third Dominator vehicle was completed in late April 2013.[8] This vehicle, named Dominator 3, was built using a Ford Super Duty pickup truck as the base vehicle — the first Dominator vehicle not to use a General Motors vehicle as the base. The vehicle features an electric winch, hydraulic anchoring spikes, and gull-wing doors (which were augmented with touch-activated actuators in early 2014) for the driver, front and rear passengers. It is also the first Dominator vehicle to utilize a diesel powerplant.

Dominator 3 first saw action during the tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013, making three separate intercepts on an EF4 tornado near Shawnee, Oklahoma on May 19.[9]

See also

• Tornado Intercept Vehicle

References

1. "Reed Timmer brings chasing chops to 4WARN Storm Team". KFOR.com. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
2. "TVN Dominator". TornadoVideos.Net. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
3. "Top 10 Tornado Videos". 2013-12-06.
4. "2010 Dominator Upgrade". TornadoVideos.Net. Archived from the original on 2012-11-24. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
5. TornadoVideos.net (March 21, 2011). "TVN picks up the new Dominator for 2011!". Retrieved 2012-10-13.
6. "Discovery Channel".
7. "El Reno tornado is 'super rare' national record-breaker". 2013-06-05.
8. TornadoVideos.net (May 3, 2013). "Dominator 1-3 and Chopper4". Retrieved 2013-03-03.
9. Cole, Ken (January 0101). "The Making of Tornado Chasers: Behind the Scenes of the Groundbreaking Documentary Series".

External links

• TornadoVideos.Net