Weather warriors fly into nature's fury
Inside the eye of a hurricane, a WC-130J Hurricane Hunter aircraft provides data from several different instruments including sensors on the aircraft, dropsondes and the new Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer, called a Smurf. The Smurf provides surface-level winds giving forecasters at the National Hurricane Center yet another source of information. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. James B. Pritchett)
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Weather ...
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Posted: 5/12/2009
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A Long Day After hurricane hunting
Pilot, Lt. Col. Mark Carter admires the sunset after 9 hours of flying into a hurricane. The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters of the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss fly 24-hours-a-day, collecting data inside the heart of Mother Nature's fury. The data collected by the Hurricane Hunters improve the National Hurricane Center forecast by 30 percent.
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A Long Day ...
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Posted: 5/12/2009
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'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)
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'Sondes' Good ...
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Posted: 10/29/2008
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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)
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Hurricane ...
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Posted: 9/10/2008
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Hurricane Hunters Track Ike
Waiting for pilots to start the engines, Tech. Sgt. Scott Blair, weather reconnaissance loadmaster, checks over the WC-130J Hurricane Hunter aircraft before departing for a mission into the eye of Hurricane Ike. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. James B. Pritchett)
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Hurricane ...
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Posted: 9/10/2008
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Eye of the storm
C-130-J copilot, Capt. James Glasscock coordinates with pilot, Lt. Col. Kevin McCluen as he prepares to turn into the eye of Hurricane Gustav during a mission to penetrate the storm Mon. Sept. 1, 2008.
Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Raymond Sarracino
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Eye of the storm
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Posted: 9/4/2008
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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
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Dropsondes away
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Posted: 9/4/2008
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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
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Hunters track ...
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Posted: 9/4/2008
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Stalking a hurricane
Hurricane Gustav churns as it nears the Gulf Coast of Louisiana Mon. Sept. 1, 2008.
Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Raymond Sarracino
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Stalking a ...
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Posted: 9/4/2008
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Preparing to launch
Senior Airman Danielle Ellis, a loadmaster aboard a C-130-J Hurricane Hunter checks her instruments prior to launching a dropsonde sensor during a mission inside Hurricane Gustav near the Gulf Coast of Louisiana Mon. Sept. 1, 2008.
Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Raymond Sarracino
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Preparing to ...
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Posted: 9/4/2008
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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)
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Hurricane ...
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Posted: 5/10/2007
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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)
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First Look
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Posted: 5/9/2007
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