Today, the Scout Troop my son belongs to, and I am a leader in, visited the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) in Lakeland, FL. This is where all NOAA hurricane hunter flights originate (the Air Force has its own flights). We had a briefing and tour of the hangar, WP-3D Orion, and Twin Otter aircraft. The former are the ones flown directly into the hurricane, while the Twin Otters are used primarily for spotting wildlife.
An interesting bit of trivia - NOAA has 2 Orion aircraft, named Miss Piggy and Kermit, after the Muppets characters. Initially, NOAA sought permission from the corporate owners of the copyright on the characters and were denied. When Jim Henson heard about it, and what the aircraft were to do, he personally intervened to allow NOAA to use the names. Colloquially, they are simply referred to as "frog" and "pig."
My pictures did not turn out too well, but here is the official link to the facility we toured: NOAA Hurricane Hunters
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Posts: 4876 | Location: Florida | Registered: August 16, 2009
That's awesome DrDan! I'll bet Peter had a blast. Can I be a temporary scout chaperone when you guys do the Mosaic phosphate mine?
"I vowed to myself to fight against evil more completely and more wholeheartedly than I ever did before. . . . That’s the only way to pay back part of that vast debt, to live up to and try to fulfill that tremendous obligation."
Alfred Hornik, Sunday, December 2, 1945 to his family, on his continuing duty to others for surviving WW II.
Posts: 12776 | Location: Central Florida | Registered: November 02, 2008
Originally posted by cparktd: Here is a question for you guys.
If given the chance... would you ride along with them into an actual hurricane?
I asked how bumpy the ride is through a hurricane. The response was that they use doppler radar to detect the worst turbulence, and generally avoid it. It can still be a rough ride, but not nearly as bad as one might suspect. So, to answer your question, I'd do it in a heart beat.
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Posts: 4876 | Location: Florida | Registered: August 16, 2009
Originally posted by ArtieS: That's awesome DrDan! I'll bet Peter had a blast. Can I be a temporary scout chaperone when you guys do the Mosaic phosphate mine?
He sat in the pilot seat of the P-3, totally ready to take off into a hurricane.
A trip to Mosaic - not a bad idea. I'll pass it along to the person that schedules those sorts of things, and if we go, I'll register you as my guest.
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Posts: 4876 | Location: Florida | Registered: August 16, 2009
It would be awesome. Draglines, haul trucks, D-11s, GE Evolution Locos, conveyor belt loading...
I'd have a equipgasm!
"I vowed to myself to fight against evil more completely and more wholeheartedly than I ever did before. . . . That’s the only way to pay back part of that vast debt, to live up to and try to fulfill that tremendous obligation."
Alfred Hornik, Sunday, December 2, 1945 to his family, on his continuing duty to others for surviving WW II.
Posts: 12776 | Location: Central Florida | Registered: November 02, 2008
