What do hurricane hunters do

The three turboprops are equipped with specialized probes, sensors, and radars to detect minute details about wind direction and speed, pressure, humidity, temperature, and more. There are also Doppler radar systems in the P-3's tail and lower fuselage to scan the storm vertically and horizontally. In addition to the pilots, the Hurricane Hunters are staffed by crews of scientists who deploy the various instruments and measure readings.

Working on the planes can be grueling, with many missions lasting hours. It's enough to give even the most seasoned frequent flyer motion sickness. Over their many missions, the Hurricane Hunters have helped scientists better understand how hurricanes form and work, allowing them to better predict storms and deadly storm surges.

Those reconnaissance missions are "primarily to locate the center of the storm and measure central pressure and surface winds around the eye. Even when there aren't any active tropical storm systems, the Hurricane Hunters stay active, carrying out various research missions across the globe.

Pacific coastal states. Gonzo is the only jet-powered plane in the Hurricane Hunter fleet. The G-IV is used to fly "high, fast, and far" above and around a storm. It has a 4, nautical mile range and a maximum cruising altitude of 45, feet. It collects high-altitude data that helps forecasters map steering air currents that direct the movement of hurricanes, helping meteorologists predict a storm's path As the P3 Orions fly through it However, another hurricane hunter team was deployed to a different part of the county after the hurricane season.

The team is measuring winds at the surface of the ocean, with a focus on extreme wind events, said project manager Lt. Peter Freeman. The purpose of the mission is to test onboard weather reading tools and see if the instruments are making the same observations as satellites in the atmosphere. The process is a sort of dress rehearsal ahead of hurricane season.

Winter storms are particularly useful for testing weather instruments because of the lack of precipitation along with hurricane-force winds the storm produces over sweeping areas of ocean. These storms, they cover a wider area and are much more dynamic. Remote tools launched from the jet include dropsondes, which is a GPS attached to a parachute, which detects storm conditions in high-to-low altitudes. While flying through winter storms is important, the dangerous winds and icing conditions make for a much more uncomfortable ride than what Freeman is used to in hurricane season, he said.

When asked if he preferred to fly through a hurricane as opposed to a winter storm, Freeman paused. Civil rights pioneer seeks expungement of '55 arrest record. Most storm-specific training is done on-the-job. The training of a commercial pilot and Hurricane Hunter diverge sharply. The commercial aviation world trains its pilots to avoid inclement weather, while NOAA Hurricane Hunter pilots are trained to fly through the worst storms on earth, over and over again.

The flight crew for a Hurricane Hunter is normally given 48 hours of notice for a flight. It takes a significant amount of preparation to deploy a full crew to a variety of international locations. Crew work and sleep schedules often need to be adjusted to ensure each member is adequately rested for the launch. On the day of the flight, a normal pre-flight check starts 2—3 hours before takeoff.

The pilots, Flight Director and Navigator conduct a mission brief with science team personnel to review the planned route, mission profile, data collection objectives, current and forecast storm development, expected hazards e. Successful hurricane missions are outstanding examples of teamwork. Crew members are by no means fearless.