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For better information on hurricanes and typhoons, check out some of the Web sites I have listed on another page. Click here to see them.

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Why do airplanes fly into hurricanes?

Even today, when weather satellites can watch every corner of the Earth, its still necessary to fly into hurricanes. Airplanes can gather certain important information, such as surface pressure, that is not possible to get with a satellite. Also, airplanes can find the exact center of a storm, which may be different from what it appears to be in a satellite picture. The data gathered from airplanes, in conjunction with satellite data, is used by weather trackers to predict where a storm is going, so that they can issue warnings to people in the storm's path.

Are the airplanes strengthened to fly into hurricanes?

No, the WC-130s that I flew on (and the ones that still fly today) were not strengthened or modified in any way, other than the addition of extra fuel tanks and special weather gathering equipment.

What's the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon?

A hurricane and a typhoon are the exact same thing, weatherwise. The only difference is location. A storm in the Atlantic Ocean or in the Pacific Ocean east of the international date line (180 degrees longitude) is called a hurricane. A storm west of the date line is called a typhoon. Generally, typhoons are stronger because they have more open ocean to form and grow before they hit land (hurricanes and typhoons both die very quickly once they hit land).

What's it like to fly into a hurricane?

Usually, its not too bad. Using weather radar, the navigator can direct the airplane around the heaviest concentrations of rain. That's where the strongest turbulence is found. In a well developed storm, sometimes you can't avoid the rain; you just have to plow right through it. That's where it can get bumpy (and sometimes scary!). Once you get through the eyewall, the ride gets much better. In the very center of the eye, its usually quite smooth and pleasant, not to mention incredibly beautiful.

Has anyone been killed by flying into a storm?

Yes. Back in the 1974, a crew from the 54th WRS was lost while flying a typhoon in the western Pacific. They had radioed their information from the eye and were never heard from again. There is a plaque on the island of Guam in their memory. Tom Robison writes in Whiskey-Charlie! The History of the WC-130 Hercules...

65-0965 had only recently arrived at the 54th WRS after having been converted to WC-130H. On 12 Aug 1974, while "fixing" Typhoon Betsy over the South China Sea about 200 miles SE of Hong Kong. "Swan 38" disappeared without a trace. The crew members, carried on AWS rolls as Killed In Action, were:

Capt Edward R. Bushnell

1Lt Gary W. Crass

1Lt Michael P. O'Brien

1Lt Timothy J. Hoffman

Tsgt Kenneth G. Suhr

Sgt Detlef W. Ringler

May they rest in peace. 65-0965 was the only WC-130 lost in 32 years of tropical storm reconnaissance with that type.