[The following is an excerpt from a letter to Allen Meece]

[Updated 4 September 2002]

I've been comparing upper level winds over the course of the year at various locations. I'm sad to say that my beloved native Louisiana is probably never going to see a beanstalk. Yearly temperature variations alone are drastic enough to cause problems, and the midlevel winds (below the tropopause) are rough enough year-round ro rip the stalk out at the roots. However, I can report that the Rochambeau station in French Guiana (SOCA at the UWyo site) and San Juan in Puerto Rico (TJSJ) have favorable winds for deployment. Puerto Rico was a pleasant surprise because of its northern latitude. So far, the best station I've examined is Kwajalein in the US Line Islands (PKWA). The peak winds there are much milder than at the SOCA station, allowing deployment over the course of the entire year.

I've too litttle data to say with certainty, but I suspect we'll find that islands and coastal locations have better behaved upper level winds than mainland locations at the same latittude. If true, the VBP would be much more versatile with more payload if deployed from an island.