NOAA's Lockheed WP-3D Orion
Slicing through the eyewall of a hurricane, buffeted by howling winds, blinding rain, hail, and violent updrafts and downdrafts before entering the relative calm of the storm's eye, NOAA's two Lockheed WP-3D Orion turboprop aircraft probe wind and pressure changes, repeating the grueling experience again and again during the course of a 10-hour mission.
These specially equipped aircraft, more commonly known as NOAA's Hurricane Hunters, play an integral role in NOAA's hurricane research and forecasting programs. Data collected during hurricanes by these flying meteorological stations are fed into computer models to help forecasters predict how intense a hurricane will be, and when and where it will make landfall. These computer models fulfill two important purposes: to help forecasters make accurate predictions during a hurricane; and to help hurricane researchers achieve a better understanding of storm processes, thereby improving their forecast models.
Scientists
from NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Hurricane Research
Division deploy instruments called GPS (Global Positioning System) dropwindsondes
as the WP-3D penetrates the hurricane. These devices continuously radio
back measurements of pressure, humidity, temperature, and wind direction
and speed as they fall toward the sea, providing a detailed look at the
structure of the hurricane and its intensity.
For
years NOAA Corps pilots and navigators, along with NOAA civilian flight
specialists and scientists have flown these aircraft into hurricanes at
low altitudes, from 1,500 - 10,000 feet, to collect research-mission data
critical for computer models that predict hurricane intensity and landfall.
This information is used differently than the hurricane reconnaissance
information provided to the National Hurricane Center by U.S. Air Force
C-130s, which penetrate hurricanes at higher altitudes. Information from
both types of flights, however, directly contributes to the safety of Americans
living along the vulnerable coastal states. June 1 marked the official
beginning of the 1999 hurricane season, and NOAA forecasters as well as
renowned hurricane forecaster William Gray from Colorado State University
are predicting above average activity.
| Take Off Weight | 135,000 pounds |
| Cruising Speed | 300 knots |
| Ceiling | 27,000 feet |
| Low Altitude Range | 2,500 miles |
| High Altitude Range | 3,800 miles |
| Max Endurance | 12 hours |
In addition to flying hurricane research and reconnaissance missions, the WP-3Ds participate in a wide variety of national and international meteorological and oceanographic research programs yearly. Recently, these aircraft have been used in major studies on storms approaching the continents of Europe and North America to improve forecasts and study the effects of El Niño; atmospheric gases and aerosols over the North Atlantic; and large-scale convective storm complexes in the Midwest.
The WP-3Ds are based at NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Playing a vital role in the mission's success are the NOAA civilians who serve as flight engineers and technicians aboard the aircraft, and NOAA Corps pilots, the only pilots in the world qualified to fly the WP-3Ds through hurricanes at these low altitudes, who command these very important flights.
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