These are the crazy Air Force pilots who fly into hurricanes
SUMMARY
When the Wild Weasels were formed, one of the candidates was said to have remarked of the mission: "You've got to be shitting me!"
Well, if you think pilots flying up against surface-to-air missile sights define crazy, you haven't heard of the Hurricane Hunters – and these folks have been busy.
With Hurricane Harvey set to hit the coast of Texas with at least two major military bases in the bullseye, tracking its movement has been important. One of the ways the data is gathered is by flying into the storm to help determine how strong the storm is, and where it may be headed.
This is often done by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, attached to the 403rd Wing, based out of Keesler Air Force Base near Biloxi Mississippi.
According to a release by the 403rd Wing, WC-130J Super Hercules weather reconnaissance planes have already made 10 flights into Hurricane Harvey, presently a Category 2 storm slated to reach Category 3 when it makes landfall in Texas.
Each plane has a crew of five: a pilot, co-pilot, a weather reconnaissance officer, a navigator, and a loadmaster.
During the flights through Harvey, the Airmen made dozens of passes through the eye of the hurricane, braving the strong winds in the center of the storm. On each pass, a device known as a "dropsonde" is released, providing data on dew point, pressure, temperature, and of course, wind speed and direction.
That data is sent out immediately to the National Hurricane Center.
"As the Hurricane Hunters, our data is time sensitive and critical for the [National Hurricane Center]," Maj. Kendall Dunn, 53rd WRS pilot explained. "This storm is rapidly intensifying."
You'd think these pilots would be full-time Air Force, but you'd be way off. These gutsy crews who brave the wrath of nature are with the Air Force Reserve – meaning that many of them are taking time off from their regular lives to serve their country. You can see them in action monitoring Hurricane Harvey in the video below.
