IamA Pilot with the USAF Reserve Hurricane Hunters. Ask Me Anything!

Did you notice that I accidentally stole your golf clubs?

When your son and I went to the driving range this summer, kinda forgot to take them out of my car.

Best wishes, your son's pilot friend.

Bring them BACK! After storm season, I might have more time to play. :-)

What I meant to say was... I bought a new set. You owe me $1,000!

Do most of your new hires come from active duty C-130 units, UPT hires, or do you also take folks from other airframes as well...like say...the KC-10?

Yes, to all of the above. No real formula.

Follow up question. Navy photojournalist vet here and I have been wondering if you guys have someone like me attached to your squad? After seeing the semi ok footage of what y'all do I have been kinda obsessed with knowing why there isn't better quality footage of both the eye and y'all doing your thing. I was flight qual'ed for my entire enlistment and admittedly never heard of this job. I would have foamed at the mouth at hearing this and would be out there in a heart beat.

We have a full-time Public Affairs office. Try looking at HurricaneHunters.com. There might be better pictures there. The truth is that we are pretty busy at those Kodak moments. And we are reluctant to add unnecessary crew members.

Please, tell me all about your mission!

What's it like seeing a hurricane that most pilots avoid and saying "Sweet. Going to fly into that one.?"

and, what's the weirdest thing you've seen flying into the eye of the hurricane, or just around hurricanes?

Well... the mission is for gathering data. We fly the plane as straight and level as we can (considering the turbulence) while the airborne meteorologist gathers data and sends it to the National Hurricane Center. Ask specific questions and I'll try to answer them.

The best part of the mission is the excitement of flying through the eye wall. It can be quite bumpy although not all are. I flew Hurricane Nicole today. It wasn't very bumpy.

The weirdest thing I've ever seen in a hurricane was a flock of birds "trapped" in the eye in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. They flew right into the plane (not a happy ending for them). I think they were probably exhausted and willing to try anything.

How on Earth do fly a plane straight and level into a hurricane? What makes the planes you fly able to withstand that, while most other planes would presumably have a very bad time?

What does the transition phase feel like from moving from the hurricane to the eye? I presume the noise is very different for one.

Think about the wind's effect on the plane like a current on a boat. The current doesn't hurt the boat. It just changes its course. It's the waves that make the boat ride uncomfortable and possibly damage it. We call the waves in the air "turbulence". It's that up and down movement that can bother the plane and crew. We know it is coming, so we maintain a speed that can withstand it. The C-130 is a very rugged plane and was designed to handle quite a bit of abuse in combat situations, so the turbulence is not as bad for it (at the right speed) as you might think. The fact that the C-130 is a turboprop plane helps too. The water encountered in a hurricane would be bad for the intake of a turbofan or turbojet engine.

The transition through the eye wall of some storms can be very bumpy. It can consist of a ring of thunderstorms that we must penetrate to get into the eye. In a major hurricane, we will do that from 10,000 feet. The top of the storm might be as high as 60,000 feet. We are wearing noise canceling headsets, so, to be honest, I've never really noticed the sound difference. That's an interesting question though. I'll pay attention next time.

Comprehensive and concise answers!

Thank you very much!

Also, another question. When you tell people what you do, do they do a double take and say something like "Wow. That sounds dangerous."?

Funny. Yes they do. I give my family and friends a hard time when they introduce me as a Hurricane Hunter. I keep telling them that I hope to someday have another redeeming quality they can use to introduce me.

Does it ever occur to you that what you do is normal to you because you do it so often, but to everyone else it's more a question of "You do what know? Fly INTO Hurricanes? Those things everyone else tries to avoid? Wow." And they sit there not having any idea what questions to ask?

I'm sure I take it for granted some. It probably isn't as sedate as I think it is sometimes. But it probably isn't as crazy as others think. I'm just glad that we provide data for such a good cause. I hope that people listen to all of the warnings and directions given, so I don't have to take my crew into them for nothing.

Do you have any data on that? How the information you gather affects people in the real world?

I presume it does, but do you have any statistics on that?

We are told by the National Hurricane Center that our data allows them to increase the accuracy of their predictions by 25%.

I bet your crew chiefs loved that!! I hated having to wipe up bird guts and inspect the dents and engines after each strike.. thanks for your service Col.

That's one of MANY things for which we owe our gratitude to the crew chiefs. They are awesome!

Do you see your team ever getting obsoleted by the Global Hawk or other UAVs? How many sondes do you drop on a typical flight, is that something that could be carried and deployed by a drone instead? Thanks for risking yourself to keep folks safe!

First, you are quite welcome. Thanks for your support!

There is already a Global Hawk mission around and above hurricanes. And yes, they do drop sondes. I don't know if they will ever replace us, but I'm sure when/if they can do the same job with resources the government wants to spend, then I guess they might.

There is no real "typical" number that we drop. It is sometimes up to a forecaster at the National Hurricane Center in Miami who talks to us via satellite. Our airborne meteorologist also decides about when to drop them for the best data. It would not be uncommon to drop 10 or so on a 6-hour mission in the storm.

ELI5: sondes?

You know those little paratrooper guys that you could throw up into the air and their chutes would open and float to the ground. Well, a dropsonde is like that little paratrooper dude but is a cardboard tube with a GPS, a radio transmitter, and a bunch of weather sensors. The airplane flys really high up and they drop the sonde out the bottom of the plane. It floats down with its chute and collects weather data that is then sent to the plane that then sends it to the weathermen at the Hurricane Center in Florida.

For a non-five year old write up go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropsonde

Pretty good answer. Thanks. The only clarification I have is that in our case, the plane doesn't fly really high. We might be as low as 5,000 feet pressure altitude and still drop them.

Dropsondes are small weather sensing devices that are dropped through a tube (AKA our "cannon") out of the bottom of the plane and fall to the surface of the water. While dropping, they gather vital information (winds, pressure, humidity, etc) and transmit that information back to the Dropsonde Operator on the plane. That allows us to gather information from even lower than we fly.

The C-130 is a grand, tough old lady. How well does she still keep at her age? How much longer do you think the USAF will fly her, and what aircraft do you think would take her place when the day comes?

I love the C-130! I imagine she will remain the workhorse of the USAF for years to come. They are still building them new. We fly the "new" J-model.

Did you set out to do this type of flying? How did your career path take you to this?

Great question! No. I just wanted to be an instructor pilot in the USAF. First I flew T-43s (older B-737s) and eventually upgraded to instructor in that. Then, I flew the T-38 (supersonic jet trainer) as an instructor. When I left active duty, I got a job in the reserves as close to home as I could find. That was flying the tactical C-130s. Our base flies two C-130 missions. I am one of a handful of pilots that gets to fly both. I fly the tactical mission (combat) and the weather mission.

How do you rate the worse turbulence you have in on a mission to the worst you have encountered on a passenger airline. It a mission much much worse? I hate turbulence when I fly.

MOST missions encounter no more than what you might get on a "bad" airline flight.

SOME flights encounter what is called "severe" turbulence. In those moments, the flight instruments cannot be read. We just fight to keep the airplane pointed in the right direction. That usually doesn't last long.

That would scare the crap out of me. You have my respect!

Thanks for the respect. We are glad to do the job.

You might be interested to know. My father flew 63 missions in a B-26 in N. Africa and Italy in WW2. He rotated back to US and was headed to Japan in P-38 when the war ended. After the war and USAAF he ferried planes to Alaska. Those guys were something else. He would have loved talking to you. Thanks for all you do.

I would have enjoyed that conversation too. I'm sure he was amazing!

How do you fly IFR if you can't read the instruments?

For the few short moments that the turbulence is so bad that we can't read the instruments, we just try to keep the shiny side up and make corrections when the turbulence subsides. I know that doesn't sound good. We don't really like it either. It doesn't happen often and it doesn't last long. But it's enough to get your attention.

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Once it's a hurricane, true. However, we fly weather systems long before they are news worthy or hurricanes.

What's the greatest difference you've ever seen between your wind corrected heading carat and your actual heading?

Maybe 40 degrees. It's less noticeable since we are flying on instruments. You don't really feel the difference like you would if you were landing in that crosswind.

Also, you said you were an instructor...do you have many people deciding it's not the right job (path) for them? Or have you ever had to tell someone "sorry...you're not cut out for this particular type of job"?

By the time they get to our unit, they are all fully qualified pilots in the C-130. I don't think they would apply here if they thought they would not be able to handle it. Our base also has tactical C-130s (more typical combat airdrop mission). That flying is much more demanding on your pilot skills. I like both missions!

What is the worse experience you had flying into a hurricane? Has there ever been fatalities associated with flying into a hurricane?

I've had some moments when the plane was being kicked around pretty good by turbulence. For the typical "control freak" pilot, that is a bit unnerving. Thankfully, those moments don't last long.

We have only lost one C-130 on a storm mission. It was back in the 70s when we weren't able to maintain constant contact with our ground support, so we aren't really sure what happened. There was very little of the plane recovered. It might not have had anything to do with the weather. We just don't know.

What you and the rest of your team does saved tens of thousands of American lives, so you've earned my respect. Keep up the great work!

Thanks for your support of our mission. Most of us live in a coastal community, so we are happy to do it.

Has there ever been a time when you felt you were in danger?

Not during one of these missions. We have been doing this a long time and have learned how to mitigate the threats to safety. We know the safest altitudes, safest speeds, radar returns to avoid, etc.

What kind of radar do you have on board? Any other specialized equipment for the pilots themselves?

We started with a typical low power color weather radar. However, our navigators soon discovered in test flights that they weren't able to see well enough to penetrate the weather. They can convert it on the fly to a monochrome radar giving them more features for a closer look. Nothing special for the pilots. We really like the HUD on the new C-130s, but it has nothing to do with Hurricane Hunting. It's just nice to have from a pilot's perspective.

How is it that a monochrome radar gives more detailed information than the color radar? Is the resolution higher?

Color radar only uses 5 colors. Monochrome uses 16 shades of green. It also has some features that the color radar doesn't offer allowing them to differentiate better between different intensities of rain/hail.

How dangerous would you say your job is?

Well... I'll tell you... if we didn't take it seriously and learn from decades of experience, it would be quite dangerous. As it turns, though, we've been doing it since the 50s. So we know how to avoid things like tornadoes, heavy hail, etc. We do get hit by lightning sometimes, but we know how to avoid getting hit a lot. So, I guess it is like many other jobs in that it can be made safer by considering the threats and mitigating them as best you can.

Avoid lightening? Is it different up in the midst of things than it looks down on the ground? As someone that is terrified of storms (lightening, thunder, wind and rain) and has never been through anything close to a hurricane...MUCH respect to you!

I grew up with a fear of storms (I got from my grandmother). Oddly enough, they just don't bother me as much in the air. We do get hit occasionally by lightning, but all airplanes are designed to dissipate electricity back into the atmosphere. We can't dissipate a lightning strike completely, so they can effect the plane some. But I like to tell people that if something is important for a plane, they give us more that one. As an example, I only need one electric generator to fly all day - they built 5 generators into the plane. The designers and mechanics take very good care of us.

What is the longest single flight mission that you have been apart of? Are the planes equipped to be re-fueled while flying?

Thankfully, no airborne refueling capability in the WC-130J. We can last about 14 hours. My longest mission was a 12.8-hour mission. Today, I flew 10.6 for a mission out to Hurricane Nicole.

I am assuming the bathroom and microwave you got makes it a bit more enjoyable?

Absolutely!

First, thank you for doing what you do!
Having so much experience flying into hurricanes, and not necessarily taking into account the strength, do they all seem to behave pretty similar? Or, is each hurricane unique? Have you ever flown into one and thought, "huh, this ain't right..."

They are very unique! I tell people that's why they have names - each one has its own personality. Some are "crankier" than others. Some are very smooth in the plane. Some are not! Bigger/stronger storms do not necessarily generate more bumps for the plane.

I flew Hurricane Dean in 2007 as it made landfall as a Cat 5. THAT was a bumpy storm. We were ready to head home at the end of that mission.

Whats the differance between your wc-130j and a typical c-130? I'd imagine you'd have a different amount of prop blades and material, anything big like that?

There is no structural difference as far as strengthening. Same engines and props too. The WC-130J uses the optional external fuel tank for the longer missions. It also has some added weather equipment. It can be converted into a combat C-130 if ever needed.

Do you guys get callsigns? If so, what is yours? Also, what's the best part about the job?

Call signs are typically associated with pilots of smaller planes. Some of us have nicknames that we either earned by something different or we get them because of our names. Mine is sometimes "Rags" cause of my last name, but a lot of people just use my name.

When we fly, we don't use names. We are taught to call each crew member by their crew position. The names we use are: "Pilot", "Co" (copilot), "Nav" (Navigator), "Weather" (Aerial Reconnaissance Weather Officer), and "Load" (Weather Loadmaster/Dropsonde Operator)

Damn, and I thought us Army Aviators got the call sign shaft. We usually get a unit call sign based on the mission like"dust-off" for medevac missions and a number somewhat based on seniority.

Oh... I see what you meant. Our squadron callsign is "Teal". The operational missions use "Teal" plus a 2-digit number assigned depending on the mission. Each individual aircraft commander gets a 2-digit number also. I picked 63. So on training missions, my callsign is always Teal63.

Is water ingestion causing a flame-out from precip an active consideration as you fly into the storm? Have you experienced any engine outs while in a hurricane/tropical storm? Would ditching even be possible inside the storm or is crew bailout a safer alternative given the surf conditions. Are you folks separate from the NOAA Corps? When you cross the eye wall how much of a change in altitude does your pressure altimeter show assuming your radar altimeter reading stays constant. Are you hiring recently minted PPLs?

Water ingestion is definitely something we consider. That's one of the reasons that we are happy to be in a turboprop.

We have lost engines before. That means its time to head back home. The plane flies fine on 3 of the 4 engines. If we lose 2, it becomes more "interesting".

Ditching is something that we train for and discuss before every mission. I personally would prefer to ditch than to bail out into in a hurricane. Bailing out would likely only be considered if the plane was not capable of being landed or ditched. In that case, it might not be stable enough to get to a chute and bail out either. Bad day.

The NOAA Hurricane Hunters are a different unit. They fly P-3s. They primarily fly into Hurricanes for research. We fly them to find out what is going on currently with a particular storm. We both report data to the NHC. We often "see" them in the storm and deconflict our missions. We both drop sondes, so we need to keep an eye on each other.

We do hire people who need to go to USAF pilot training. It's a competitive process. Contact your USAF Reserve recruiter if you are interested. Good luck!

Thanks! I'm sure there's enough rudder on the 130 to compensate for a couple engines out, but I'd imagine climbing would be akin to an over-gross 150 on a high, hot, and humid day at around 200 FPM Max.

The ceiling on 2 engines is often below 10,000 feet. Once you configure to land, it gets real.

As a person who just survived Matthew, thank you! "Your" info that the storm was weakening as it moved towards Jax made my Thursday last week! My question is- what were your thoughts on your first mission? What does a hurricane look like when approached at altitude?

If the storm is fully developed, the eye will have a "stadium effect". It is like looking at a stadium built out of cotton. It surrounds you and is smaller at the base. If not fully developed, it might look like any other cloud formation. We just have to get closer to the thunderstorms than other planes are allowed.

Have you ever had to abort a mission or flight due to storm severity? Or is it just a matter of changing course?

There is no storm too strong. Some crews have even flown Super Typhoons in the Pacific. The horizontal winds (that damage things on the ground) only change the course of the plane. We can easily counter that by turning into the winds and flying sideways. Much like swimming up stream in order to hit a spot directly across from you.

To be fair, there was at least one storm that was too strong in 1974 (Typhoon Bess) or at least we can assume it was storm related- what changes or technology do you fly with now that makes you confident such an event is unlikely to occur? I assume safety with the technology you have now is much better- but what is the general consensus with those of you who fly in hurricanes on that event?

Well... we can't really assume that their problem was storm related. Nor can we rule that out. The mishap investigation was inconclusive. These days, we remain in constant contact with the NHC and our home base, so we can tell someone if we experience a problem. That was not the case back then, so we just don't know. Their call sign was Swan 38. We fund raise for an annual scholarship given in their honor.

minimum crew of five

What's the maximum crew? Got any pictures of the parts where the other folks sit? (Can't watch video at the moment, so I don't know if that's in your CNN link already). Even being a passenger in a plane flying though a hurricane must be unbelievably awesome.

You can also check out HurricaneHunters.com for other pictures.

The pilots and Navigator sit up front.

The two weather experts sit in the cargo compartment at special removable computer stations. At one of those (the one for the Dropsonde Operator), there is also the "cannon" for shooting the dropsondes out of the bottom of the plane.

How easy is it to manoeuvre inside the eye of a hurricane? And if it's only moving at 20-30 kph, how does a rapidly moving aeroplane stay inside the eye?

We don't actually try to stay inside it. We find the center of low pressure, mark that spot, and gather data about it all while heading out the other side of the eye wall. If we must (and if there is enough room), we can circle briefly inside the eye to find the center of low pressure, but that isn't normally needed. We don't want just eye data. The eye isn't the only part that can be a problem for folks on the ground. We actually fly an "X" pattern through the eye over and over starting from about 100 miles away from the eye in 4 different directions. Since the storm is rotating, that gives us a good "picture" of the storm.

I was following the flights through Matthew on FlightAware, and wondered about the pattern I was seeing, and if you were trying to come at all directions. Thanks!

Our standard is an "X" pattern coming at the storm from 4 different directions over and over. It gets modified by our onboard weather officer or by the NHC via a satellite conversation as needed to supply the best data. We also never fly over land in the storm environment, so land will cause us to alter our standard pattern.

Why won't you fly over land?

Two main reasons: 1) We aren't needed as much. There are plenty of weather observation stations on land. 2) It is a bit more risky for aircraft. The interaction with land creates more up and down movement in the air (turbulence) and generates more tornadoes. (We don't do those!) So based on risk analysis and a cost-benefit analysis, we just don't do it. We fly them right up until they make land fall, but we don't follow them over land.

Seen any ufos?

Not yet, but I'll keep an eye out. Even UFOs know to stay away from Hurricanes!

What type of uplink does the plane use to send data back to NOAA?

A secure satellite uplink for 2-way text only. We also have a satellite phone if we need it.

What is your favorite airplane? That you have flown and not flown.

My favorite plane is the Boeing-737. I've flown it in the military and in the airline business. It was my first "real" plane.

My favorite missions are those of the C-130. I love the crew and the type of flying we get to do.

I separated from the AF in Jan '16 (non-flyer (cataracts), I was a missileer) and am planning on starting a training program Jan '17. I have been looking at different possibilities in a flying career and this is new.

Couldnt watch the video at the moment so it may have been mentioned Are storm chaser pilots generally selected from the services or are there possibilities for non-military pilots?

There are 12 planes in the world allowed to fly into thunderstorms/hurricanes. 10 of them are WC-130J aircraft flown entirely by crews in the USAF Reserves. The other 2 are P-3s flown by NOAA. I believe most of the NOAA pilots are former military.

Thanks for offering to answer questions. You may not have the answer for this but, what is the maintenance schedule and how does it differ from a typical transport aircraft as far as the time investment? I would assume it would require a specialized team to make sure your plane is in the best possible shape.

Actually, we stick to the regular maintenance schedule. We do try to fly them in such a way that prevents major scheduled maintenance during storm season. We need all 10 planes working then. Our maintainers are amazing! We have been flying quite a bit this season, and they are keeping us in the air.

What do you when you're not flying through hurricanes?

I assume that you spend a lot of time training for the job. What does that entail?

We stay busy all year long. Training mission look just like real missions, only without all the bumps. They are mostly for the weather experts. The pilots also need to borrow the plane regularly to maintain proficiency with landing and other pilot things.

We also fly winter storms. It is a much different looking mission, but we gather data from those too.

Finally, the planes can be used for cargo missions and aeromedical missions which transport patients.

As someone who's actually in process of applying to the Reserves, and am actually looking at the 53rd, what would you say is the best part of your mission? What do you all do when it's not storm season?

Lots to do in the "off" season. Training, cargo missions, winter storm missions, etc.

The best part is spending time with these people. We fly out of great locations too. Quite frankly, the flying isn't that challenging or exciting (except in actual hurricanes), so I like the flying better in our other unit, the 815th AS Flying Jennies. Not everyone gets to fly for both though.

did you fly something else for the military before becoming a hurricane hunter? Were you interested in meteorology before joining the hurricane hunters? Any formal education in meteorology? How many hours do you have? Plans for after you leave the military?

I just picked the reserve unit closest to home. That's how I ended up here. However, some of our pilots had a prior interest in the weather. The pilots don't require any weather training. We aren't nearly as smart as the meteorologists. :-)

I have almost 10,000 hours including my civilian time. After I leave the military, I will enjoy retirement!

Don't know if you'll be able to answer but do you or others do anything similar for thunderstorms?

All airplanes are prohibited by aviation rules to get close to thunderstorms. In most situations, you have to stay 10-20 miles away depending on your altitude. Our 10 and NOAA's 2 planes operate on waivers that allow us to go into thunderstorms. No one else can, so there isn't a mission to gather information from other thunderstorms.

Have you ever had to go to the bathroom while flying a long mission? What's the procedure?

Our missions can last as long as 14 hours, so yes, we have to eat and relieve ourselves. We have the equivalent of a porta-potty which is part of the equipment in the back. It has a curtain instead of walls, but it is sufficient. You try to wait until the radar is predicting a smooth enough ride for a few minutes.

Are there any opportunities for a naval aviator to get into hurricane hunting? I understand you fly through the Air Force, but does NOAA or NASA fly any separate missions that a naval aviator could pick up?

We are active USAF Reservists. We have WC-130s planes. We have several pilots that have come from other services. We have former Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. But they become USAF.

NOAA has 2 P-3s that also fly into hurricanes. I think many of their pilots are former navy aviators.

There was/is not nearly enough information available to properly determine the cause of that mishap. Might have had nothing to do with the storm. I think today's crews are confident in our safety practices and equipment. The callsign of that aircraft in 1974 was Swan38. We fundraise for a college scholarship given each year in their honor.

As someone who's interested in joining the Air Force reserves and hoping to become a pilot if I do, preferably near me (Louisiana), how do I prepare and have the best chance of successfully making that happen? I have my bachelor's degree and thus would join as an officer as I know that is required. Also how does piloting for the reserves work? From my understanding when you work for the reserves, you go in one weekend a month and two weeks every summer. Are those the only times you fly? Thanks!

The best thing to do is contact a Reserve recruiter and, if able, get in touch with an actual unit that interests you. Selection boards are held at least twice a year to pick the people that the reserves will make officers and send to pilot training. It is fairly competitive. Most have some flight time. Your recruiter can help you with that. Of course, you must pass a flight physical as well. Again, talk to a recruiter.

Flight crew members are unable to maintain proficiency with just 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer, so we are provided extra paid opportunities to fly. I recommending living near your unit and making yourself available to help them while also maintaining your proficiency.

Are the aircraft you fly in strengthened or outfitted any differently than other aircraft of the same type?

Do you see a role for any of the soon to be retired A-10s?

The WC-130J is not structurally strengthened at all. It is configured slightly differently with addition weather sensing equipment and a Navigator panel on the flight deck. We also add two removable pallets (computer equipped desks) in the back for the weather experts. It can be converted back to the normal combat role if needed.

No, I don't think that a single-seat jet aircraft has a role in hurricanes. Jets don't like that much water for one.

What else have you done in your air force career besides flying with the hurricane hunters? How did you get selected for the hurricane hunters? Are you a full time reservist, or do you have another job outside of the air force?

I was active-duty first. I was an instructor on the T-43 (B-737-200) and an instructor on the T-38 (twin-jet trainer) before moving to the reserves and the C-130. I used to be an airline pilot (Continental Airlines), but gave that up for a full-time reserve job.

Best Q3 story, and what beer am I bringing when you don't hook me?

Thankfully, most pilots are very prepared for their job and their periodic check rides, so I'm happy to report that I don't have any Q3 stories worth telling. So if you bring your A-game, you won't need anything more.

There was a weather report a few weeks ago that showed a flock of birds stuck in the eye of a tropical storm. (too lazy to find the link now) Are you guys on high alert for BASH or is that too uncommon? Thanks for doing this, btw!

We are always alert for possible threats. It is not common that we see birds in the eye, but I have seen (and hit) them before.

What are some fun stories you have from your flying experience other than just the Hurricane ones?

Side-note: Check out r/flying.

I can share a recent funny aspect of the job. On two recent storm flights, as we near the eye wall, someone on the crew yelled out "Leeeerrrroooy Jennnnnkins!" It gets a good laugh and then we put our game faces back on. I just recently became aware of the Leroy Jenkins reference because of a popular hurricane meme.

Any advice for somebody who would love to join the Air Force in order to fly? What are the dos and do nots?

Talk to a recruiter for sure. They are good at explaining the process. I also encourage getting as much information as possible from others doing what you want to do. Make an informed decision and then be ready to work hard for the opportunity. Flying is fun! Never lose that. To be a pilot, you must be an officer which requires a college degree. So... depending on your age, I would tell you to work hard at school.

I'm probably too late, and there's probably already been someone who has asked, but do you have any incredible pictures you can share that you've taken while doing any of these flights?

Check out HurricaneHunters.com. They have some.

Just wanted to say how badass your profession sounds. Do navigators also go to piloting school?

Navigators have their own professional flight school. It teaches some of the same skills along with other unique skills. This mission relies on them heavily for their radar expertise.

Are there any reinforcements done to the airframe to mitigate the effects of hail? I have read of T-28's and even proposed A-10 weather reconnaissance missions both of which having reinforced skins for hail protection- does the WC-130J or P3 have any such alterations?

I'm not aware of any skin reinforcements on the C-130 or P-3. We try not to stay in heavy hail when encountered.

My dad was aircrew on a P-3 in the Navy, and was wondering, what is the major difference in using the C-130 compared to the P-3?

They are very similar. The USAF already flies C-130s, so it probably just made more sense to use a plane with an already established infrastructure in the USAF.

Is the earth flat?

No

What is the typical winds that you fly into? I assume directly into? How about a typical ground speed? Ever have a unexpected wind shift that could cause a stall?

The airplane is designed to travel at 350 mph. We slow it down to about 200 mph to remain at a speed that prevents damage from turbulence. we always have a crosswind from the left while we head toward the eye and a crosswind from the right as we head out of the eye. The wind shifts are drastic at times, but not so fast that they cause us to approach a stall.

Does it ever make you nervous flying when you are a passenger?

No, but I always prefer to be the pilot.

Assuming you fly commercially at least once in awhile do you ever tell the flight attendants or pilots that you're a trained pilot? I've often wondered if there are qualified pilots sitting in the passenger area and if so does the airline or flight crew know.

I don't usually tell anyone. If I were ever to see any excitement, I might let them know. Being trained in a C-130 doesn't necessarily mean that I would have an easy time with a commercial airliner, but I would be happy to help if needed.

Do you get vectors to the eye or so you use gps? Do you notice the storm messing with your navaids?

We start in the direction indicated by satellite images. Then, as we get close, we use the radar, pressure changes, and wind direction to keep headed to the eye.

What's the lowest QNH you've seen?

26.72 in Hurricane Dean (2007)

Has anyone ever gone down in a storm, or had a close call?

We have only lost one C-130 on a storm mission. It was in 1974 and the mishap investigation was inconclusive, so we have no idea if the mishap was storm related. These days, we remain in constant contact with the NHC and our home base, so we can tell someone if we experience a problem. That was not the case back then, so we just don't know. Their call sign was Swan 38. We fund raise for an annual scholarship given in their honor.

What do you think of Army Rangers? I didn't have a better question, sorry.

They are amazing heroes and I'm glad they are on our team. I've gotten to airdrop them before.

How much turbulence can a typical plane take before things get dangerous?

Each situation and plane is different. Advance indications that turbulence is ahead greatly enhances a crew's ability to avoid or prepare for turbulence. Each aircraft also has a turbulence penetration airspeed to help prevent damage.

For a typical plane though... What"level" of turbulence can it take?

Sorry. There just isn't really a good way to answer that. If a plane is being flown at its rough air penetration airspeed, it will in theory stall before breaking something. Stalls and a lack of seeing the instruments create their own problems unique to each aircraft and situation. Levels of turbulence are also different depending on the size and characteristics of the plane. "Moderate turbulence" in a small Cessna will not be interpreted that way in a Boeing jetliner.

That works. What's the worst turbulence you have experienced?

I have experienced brief moments of severe turbulence. In those moments, the instruments are shaking too much to read them. We're just trying to keep the shiny side up until we get past it and can make corrections.

We have a full-time Public Affairs office. Try looking at HurricaneHunters.com. There might be better pictures there. The truth is that we are pretty busy at those Kodak moments. And we are reluctant to add unnecessary crew members.

Not during a hurricane mission. I am confident in our crews, aircraft, maintainers, and safety practices. There ARE times when I'm uncomfortable and ready to find smoother air and/or less lightning.

At the right speed (different for each plane), all planes can handle all turbulence from a purely structural perspective. There are other issues with turbulence too, so all of us would rather avoid it.

So when you catch a hurricane do you release back into the wild?

I wish we could catch them and turn them!

They are amazing heroes! I get to airdrop them occasionally with our other C-130 unit. It is a privilege to work with them.

An encrypted satellite network.

Is the WC-130J the best plane for the job or is its successor being designed now?

I'm unaware of a successor being developed. The WC-130J is very well suited for the job! These new J-model aircraft have only been used full-time in storms since 2005.

Are the Hurricane Hunters still out of Biloxi?

Yes. Keesler AFB, MS 403d Wing

What would be required in you opinion to take a stock aircraft and fly it in these sort of conditions safely? Suppose not a 130 but a regular multi turboprop

I would not recommend it at all.

Lol! Is that much done with the 130 to make it better suited?

Not really, but the training and our procedures keep us safe. Just wouldn't want to encourage anyone else to try it. I'm guessing our crews could take a different turboprop as long as it wasn't too small.

Little late, but hopefully you get to see this...

How clean does the aircraft get after essentially going through an extreme power wash after flying through the storm?

Interestingly enough, we also taxi our aircraft through what we call the "bird bath" after a day of flying. It is a high-pressure fresh water rinse facility built into our taxiway. The planes also get a thorough cleaning every 30 days or so. So, as you can see, we take good care of them.

Hey, I live near Florida's east coast and I was curious if you know why nearly all day Thursday I think last week the noaa projected Matthew to hit the middle of the state's East coast and then it finally didn't show in the 1am update, Friday if I remember correctly, and in the final path when the eye moved along the ocean towards the Carolinas.

Also I saw a video online with a segment about those who fly into hurricanes to gather data about possible hurricanes, think it was nova for their Katrina documentary. Is it not extremely dangerous to fly a large plane into a big windy storm with extreme turbulence? I imagine there are ways to fly safely but it just seems sooooooooo dangerous.

Predicting the future of a weather system is very difficult. That's why we don't mind providing the data. It helps them predict more accurately. We don't do predicting ourselves though. We just supply the data and let the meteorologists at the NHC do the predicting.

Yes there are ways to mitigate the dangers. If it was dangerous, my wife wouldn't let me do it! :-) We know what speed to fly, what radar returns to avoid, what altitudes are best, how to correct after turbulence disrupts our path, etc. We take safety seriously and prepare well for these missions.