'Sondes' Good to Me

Master Sgt. Jeff Stack, a weather reconnaissance loadmaster, explains how the dropsonde he is holding collects weather information inside storms to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz. The life-saving data collected by the Hurricane Hunters, Air Force reservists assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, improves National Hurricane Center forecasts by 30 percent. The Air Force Reserve Command unit at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., is the only Department of Defense unit to fly into hurricanes. General Schwartz visited Mississippi in late October to speak at the 30th annual Salute to the Military, an event honoring the Airmen and Citizen Airmen of the Gulf Coast region. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Chad E. Gibson)

Hurricane Hunters Track Ike

A WC-130J Hurricane Hunter takes off for a mission into the eye of Hurricane Ike. With the exception of two palletized weather stations, the WC-130J is not modified for missions into hurricanes and other troical weather. The aircraft is manned by U.S. Air Force Reservists from the 53rd Weather Reconniassance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. James B. Pritchett)

Dropsondes away

This tube, adjacent to the loadmaster position, is used to launch dropsondes into the storm as the aircraft flies through it. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Raymond Sarracino

Hunters track their prey

Hurricane Gustav churns as it nears the Gulf Coast of Louisiana Mon. Sept. 1, 2008. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Raymond Sarracino

Hurricane Hunters fly year's first storm mission over Atlantic

The Hurricane Hunters answer the call to an early kickoff of this year's hurricane season, which arrived nearly a month early with the development of Subtropical Storm Andrea off the coast of Georgia. This year, the state-of-the-art WC-130J aircraft will be equipped with the Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer which allows the Citizen Airman of the Hurricane Hunters to constantly measure surface winds directly below the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. James Pritchett)

First Look

The Hurricane Hunters answer the call to an early kickoff of this year's hurricane season, which arrived nearly a month early with the development of Subtropical Storm Andrea off the coast of Georgia. This year, the state-of-the-art WC-130J aircraft will be equipped with the Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer which allows the Citizen Airman of the Hurricane Hunters to constantly measure surface winds directly below the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. James Pritchett)