Plane Flying into the Eye of Hurricane Matthew
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 9:18 pm
Hurricane hunter plane flying through turbulence then into the calm eye
The NOAA Hurricane Hunters conduct research using special aircraft in order to support NOAA's mission of predicting changes in the Earth's environment and managing coastal and marine resources. AOC crews fly through hurricanes to help forecasters and scientists gather both operational and research data. In addition, the crews do a number of other research projects - including ocean wind studies, winter storm research, thunderstorm research, coastal erosion, and air chemistry flights to name a few.
NOAA uses two Lockheed WP-3D Orions and a Gulfstream IV-SP for most of its weather-related missions.
NOAA's Lockheed WP-3D Orion
The WP-3s were designed to tolerate large amounts of damage since they are the aircraft that actually fly into the eye of hurricanes. The WP-3 can be thought of as a flying research lab as it is equipped to take atmospheric measurements. One of the most distinct parts of the WP-3 is the giant circular black belly radar.
A normal hurricane reconnaissance or research mission can last from 9–10 hours, while a surveillance ("fix" mission) mission will typically last 8 hours, often in rotation with WC-130 flights from the Air Force Reserve Command's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (53 WRS) at six-hour intervals.
Most often, the scientists and crew aboard the aircraft deploy dropsondes with GPS which collect and transmit data as they descend toward the ocean.
Once this data is received and QC'd by the crew, it is sent to the NOAA National Hurricane Center for analysis. Other data is collected and transmitted by request. Personnel on board include pilots, navigators, engineers, technicians, and flight meteorologists (Flight Directors).