WASHINGTON - Most pilots navigate around storms, but not Keesler AFB, Miss., reserve squadron – known as the ‘Hurricane Hunters’ - charts its course right down the middle. Driving rain and swirling winds are normal flight conditions for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. During Hurricane Ida duty, the co-pilot's windshield was cracked at the end of Aug. 28’s morning mission. It’s a rare event,” said flight navigator, Lt. Col. Mark Withee. “We’re flying in a hostile environment.” The crack didn’t put the crew at danger, but forced them back to Keesler AFB early. They didn’t have time to use a spare aircraft to finish the data-collection clock. Forecasters rely on getting measurements in real-time. Flight data tell a great deal about how the storm is reacting, according to Prof. Mark Bourassa with Florida State University’s Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies. Weather computers digest terabytes of data collected by AF and NOAA flights. NOAA now has a backup set, but still needs to be outfitted with specialized research technology before it’s ready to fly a mission. Hurricane Hunters’ flights end when the storm makes landfall, but pilots and crew are likely going to be back in the air again very soon. This hurricane season is producing more named storms than usual and the peak typically arrives arounds Sept. 10. (Source: Gray DC 09/06/21) USAF Navigator: “We’re flying in a hostile environment” (wlox.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment