NOAA Hurricane Hunters

FloridaPilot

FloridaPilot

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FloridaPilot said:
I have to hand it to the Pilots that fly through Hurricanes just to get data from it. There has only been one airplane lost from flying through a Hurricane and that was over 60 years ago.

https://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/aircraft-operations/about/hurricane-hunters

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-hunter-plane-crash-janet

What kind of airplane material is used? Is it more durable than regular aircraft?
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There are a couple of Orions (Lockheed Electra) and one or two Gulfstream aircraft. Pretty much standard aircraft. I have some pictures somewhere from a tour earlier this year. USAF also has one or two that I think at C130s.
 
wsuffa said:
There are a couple of Orions (Lockheed Electra) and one or two Gulfstream aircraft. Pretty much standard aircraft. I have some pictures somewhere from a tour earlier this year. USAF also has one or two that I think at C130s.
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With winds at 185 mph how come airplanes don't break apart in flight?
 
They aren't 185 mph relative to the airplane.

I'm guessing the biggest problem for them is the turbulence due to the wind shear and convection. Is there hail in a hurricane?
 
FloridaPilot said:
I have to hand it to the Pilots that fly through Hurricanes just to get data from it. There has only been one airplane lost from flying through a Hurricane and that was over 60 years ago.

https://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/aircraft-operations/about/hurricane-hunters

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-hunter-plane-crash-janet

What kind of airplane material is used? Is it more durable than regular aircraft?
Click to expand...

Wow this is ironic...I was going to post about these guys today as well! Look at those vids on YouTube of them flying through the eye wall...holy hell. I am amazed those planes don't break apart.

I guess it's a testament to how strong airplanes are...

Are thunderstorms more violent than hurricanes? Because you hear of pilots that get killed from midair breakups from accidentally flying into embedded thunderstorms.
 
There was a documentary on the History Channel awhile back that featured them. Quite amazing to say the least!
 
From what I recall of the History Channel episode on them.
The planes are specially reinforced spars and other structural members.
The complete skin is replaced with a thicker sheet for additional strength.
They also plan the flight to minimize wind gradients.

They track the forces the plane is subjected too. There was some sort of scale which is cumulative in nature; above a certain level the plane was immediately taken off line and basically disassembled and parts replaced as needed.

Tim
 
I remember seeing that they try and use turboprops as their primary aircraft because they fly through so much intense rain that the volume of water could actually choke out a jet engine! That's literally amazing!

I have amazing respect for these guys and gals who do this. I'd love to talk with one someday. These people really have to be complete pilots!
 
tspear said:
From what I recall of the History Channel episode on them.
The planes are specially reinforced spars and other structural members.
The complete skin is replaced with a thicker sheet for additional strength.
They also plan the flight to minimize wind gradients.

They track the forces the plane is subjected too. There was some sort of scale which is cumulative in nature; above a certain level the plane was immediately taken off line and basically disassembled and parts replaced as needed.

Tim
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One was getting refurbished/re-engined this year. (Miss Piggy, I think) The planes are about 20-ish years old.
 
I had the opportunity to go on one of the C-130's from the Biloxi reserve unit that's a Hurricane Hunter bird. I was chatting with the crew and they said other than weather sensing equipment it's an unmodified C-130 as far as the structure/strength/engine goes. I find it amazing that a non-modified plane can take that but it shows the quality of which they're built.
 
FloridaPilot said:
With winds at 185 mph how come airplanes don't break apart in flight?
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It depends on what is relative to the airplane. The earth rotates at something like 450 meters per second, but we don't perceive it since we're relative to it. I was talking to some hurricane hunter guys when they flew one into Otis Air Force base many many many years ago and they had said that since the wind in a hurricane general all flows in the same, predictable direction, the turbulence is not as bad as you would think.. it's mostly just across the gradients were you get bumps but they minimize that and plan the eye wall penetrations carefully with the wind

JustinD said:
I was chatting with the crew and they said other than weather sensing equipment it's an unmodified C-130 as far as the structure/strength/engine goes.
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That's what I was told too. Some people earlier up posted the plane has reinforced spars, thicker skins, etc. The pilots and crew I talked to at Otis so many years ago said that other than the weather equipment it was just a standard C130.. apparently Google agrees:
upload_2017-9-6_10-6-43.png
http://www.hurricanehunters.com/plane.html
 
I believe a standard thunderstorm has a lot more convective activity in it and is much more dangerous to aircraft. I think there is actually one only plane, a very modified T28 that is built to fly into thunderstorms to collect data. I've read also that there was talks of modifying some A10s to do the same...
 
JustinD said:
I had the opportunity to go on one of the C-130's from the Biloxi reserve unit that's a Hurricane Hunter bird. I was chatting with the crew and they said other than weather sensing equipment it's an unmodified C-130 as far as the structure/strength/engine goes. I find it amazing that a non-modified plane can take that but it shows the quality of which they're built.
Click to expand...

The C-130 is, IMO, the Abrams Tank of the air. They are indeed sturdy.
 
Tantalum said:
I believe a standard thunderstorm has a lot more convective activity in it and is much more dangerous to aircraft. I think there is actually one only plane, a very modified T28 that is built to fly into thunderstorms to collect data. I've read also that there was talks of modifying some A10s to do the same...
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Are folks aware of the NOAA research program where they used a 737 to fly through thunderstorms? The big planes can do a lot but there's little reason to do it in peacetime...
 
Tantalum said:
It depends on what is relative to the airplane. The earth rotates at something like 450 meters per second, but we don't perceive it since we're relative to it. I was talking to some hurricane hunter guys when they flew one into Otis Air Force base many many many years ago and they had said that since the wind in a hurricane general all flows in the same, predictable direction, the turbulence is not as bad as you would think.. it's mostly just across the gradients were you get bumps but they minimize that and plan the eye wall penetrations carefully with the wind


That's what I was told too. Some people earlier up posted the plane has reinforced spars, thicker skins, etc. The pilots and crew I talked to at Otis so many years ago said that other than the weather equipment it was just a standard C130.. apparently Google agrees:
View attachment 56179
http://www.hurricanehunters.com/plane.html
Click to expand...

Note: The reinforced planes and stuff I saw was from NOAA, not DOD. So old turboprops, not the C130.

Tim
 
tspear said:
Note: The reinforced planes and stuff I saw was from NOAA, not DOD. So old turboprops, not the C130.
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Thanks, I was quite surprised to learn there was no reinforcement on those C130.. even at least some additional skin lapping in areas
 
i thought there was something to do with the engines... don't they suck in a crapload of water?
 
San Juan is further down though...I certainly wouldn't want to fly in that?
 
CC268 said:
San Juan is further down though...I certainly wouldn't want to fly in that?
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Neither would I. But somehow the Jalopnik article just seemed annoyingly written
 
wsuffa said:
There are a couple of Orions (Lockheed Electra) and one or two Gulfstream aircraft. Pretty much standard aircraft. I have some pictures somewhere from a tour earlier this year. USAF also has one or two that I think at C130s.
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2 P3's and a G4 based out of LAL with NOAA. The P3's primarily fly low through the eye wall, the G4 typically goes around the storm at FL410-450 observing synoptic data with dropsondes.

AF WC-130's also fly below the flight levels doing eyewall penetrations. A storm like Irma will basically have a bird in or near it at all times as it gets closer.
 
^thanks, incredible
 
tspear said:
Note: The reinforced planes and stuff I saw was from NOAA, not DOD. So old turboprops, not the C130.

Tim
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Hmmm... the NOAA folks told me that there wasn't much, if any, special reinforcement for either Kermit or Ms. Piggy (the Orions). But the Orions themselves are better built than the old Electras upon which they are based.
 

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Todd82 said:
2 P3's and a G4 based out of LAL with NOAA. The P3's primarily fly low through the eye wall, the G4 typically goes around the storm at FL410-450 observing synoptic data with dropsondes.

AF WC-130's also fly below the flight levels doing eyewall penetrations. A storm like Irma will basically have a bird in or near it at all times as it gets closer.
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NOAA also flys a global hawk above the hurricane (and above everyone else)
 
Clark1961 said:
NASA may own it but NOAA directs it and uses the data....but congratulations you have qualified as a POA pointless nitpicker.
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If you're going that route, NOAA (NHC CARCAH) directs and uses the data from the AF WC-130's too. But I guess that's more nitpicking? :frown2:

Good luck finding that Global Hawk with a NOAA callsign on Flightaware, etc. though.:dunno:
 
Todd82 said:
If you're going that route, NOAA (NHC CARCAH) directs and uses the data from the AF WC-130's too. But I guess that's more nitpicking? :frown2:

Good luck finding that Global Hawk with a NOAA callsign on Flightaware, etc. though.:dunno:
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I'm sure a good doctor somewhere can help you with that stick. Maybe you've already turned down several offers to remove it already.
 
Tantalum said:
I believe a standard thunderstorm has a lot more convective activity in it and is much more dangerous to aircraft. I think there is actually one only plane, a very modified T28 that is built to fly into thunderstorms to collect data. I've read also that there was talks of modifying some A10s to do the same...
Click to expand...

I flew into the purtiest level 4 one day in a C-210.

And survived.

It wasn't planned and I won't do it again.
 
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