So far this year there have only been three radiosondes that have landed within twenty miles of central Harris County. The first two had no chance of recovery due to their remoteness but the third, which landed last Tuesday evening, had some potential. My estimated landing location put it about 600 feet south of Marshall Williams Road.
I arrived onsite yesterday morning and got the drone in the air. After 15 minutes of searching I still had not located anything so I decided to expand my search area. As I was flying to the point of the last position report I finally spotted the balloon and parachute in a pine tree just outside of my estimated landing zone. Going in for a closer look I found the radiosonde was on the ground.
The landing location was only 350 feet from the road. For this I was thankful because the handheld GPS receiver I usually use to orienteer was sitting at home where I left it.
Using a white hut and a puddle as landmarks I quickly located the radiosonde from the ground. Overall this was one of my easiest recoveries from a wooded area.