I left work a bit early yesterday to check out NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter WP-3D Orion that was visiting RDU Airport. This is the aircraft that NOAA uses to fly right into the heart of hurricanes, measuring the storm and conducting experiments.
When I arrived at the general aviation terminal around 3:45 PM, the line to see the plane was stretched out to the sidewalk. A staff member explained that due to the approaching thunderstorm, tours of the plane had been halted. I waited for a bit on the sidewalk as lightning from the storm zapped ever closer to the airport and buildings. Eventually the staff ushered everyone inside, though the tours were still on hold.
Knowing I was at the end of the line and had nothing to lose by walking away, I looked around inside at the exhibits. Soon I heard my name being called. My former coworker from Weather Predict, Eric Williford, said hello and asked how I was doing. As we caught up, he introduced me to two newer WP employees, Andrew and David, who shepherded me through the line. Eric, Andrew, and David are all in the hurricane prediction business, so they had a unique perspective on the aircraft and its mission. Even so, we had a challenge identifying all of the unusual gadgets protruding from the 50-year old plane.
One thing we didn’t have trouble identifying is that the thing is built like a tank. It has to be, considering the missions it flies. I heard the flight engineer explain to a visitor how, when flying a mission into a hurricane, the plane can gain or lose 40 knots of airspeed instantly. Thus, the engineer spends most flights hunched over the four throttles, shoving them forward or backward to compensate. Jeff Orrock of the local NWS office explained to another how prop planes are used because jet engines could potentially injest enough rain during a hurricane flight to extinguish the engine. Also interesting was the pilot’s assertion that your everyday thunderstorm is considerably more violent and unpredictable to fly through than a hurricane.
I got to play expert, too, when a woman standing on the balcony next to me saw my ham radio badge and mistook me for someone who knows what he’s talking about. I spent the next ten minutes describing the equipment I could identify and why it is important. It was only a small fraction of what the plane does but it seemed enough for this woman.
We finally made our way onboard to find a well-padded interior, with computer consoles throughout the plane. I pointed out some electronic boxes that apparently were home-made, with dials labeled with magic marker. David, a former aircrew member of a similar plane flown by NASA, just laughed and said the plane he flew was full of the same style of jury-rigged equipment.
I asked a crewmember inside where the press sits during a flight. He pointed up and down the aisle and answered “anywhere there’s not a scientist.” Scientists get dibs on missions, obviously, but whenever there’s an open seat the crew can take others. As I mused about taking a flight, the crewmember helpfully chimed up “sure, you can always apply!” What a roller-coaster trip that would be!
After viewing the consoles and pondering how they looked more at home on the destroyer I used to serve on rather than an airplane, I said goodbye to my friends and headed out on another appointment.
It was nice to see this sophisticated aircraft and get an appreciation for the missions it flies.