| 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron | |
|---|---|
53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron emblem |
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| Active | 1944--present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Tropical Storm Weather Reconnaissance |
| Garrison/HQ | Keesler Air Force Base |
| Nickname | Hurricane Hunters |
The 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (AFRC), also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force. Aligned under the 403rd Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command and based at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, it flies aircraft into tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those storms.
The Hurricane Hunters of the Air Force Reserve are distinct from those of the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, based at MacDill AFB, Florida, a civilian organization that uses a pair of Lockheed WP-3D Orion and a Gulfstream IV-SP aircraft for similar data collection missions.
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The 1943 Surprise Hurricane, which struck Houston, Texas during World War II, marked the first intentional meteorological flight into a hurricane. That summer, British pilots being trained as instrument instructor pilots at Bryan Field heard that the school was evacuating its AT-6 Texan trainers in the face of the oncoming hurricane, and began teasing their instructors about the airworthiness of the aircraft. School commander USAAF Col. Joseph B. Duckworth bet his RAF students that he could safely fly into the storm and return. He took out one of the trainers with 2nd Lt. Ralph M. O'Hair navigating and flew it straight into the eye of the storm. After he returned safely, the base's only weather officer, 1st Lt. William H. Jones-Burdick, took over the navigator's seat and Col. Duckworth flew into the storm (now over land) a second time, this time recording their observations and measuring temperatures within the storm.[3] The flights demonstrated that hurricane reconnaissance flights were feasible, and further flights continued on an irregular basis.[4][5]
The 53d WRS was originally activated in 1944 as the 3rd WRS, at Presque Isle, Maine.[1] Many of its missions were flown from a forward base at Gander, Newfoundland, using B-25 Mitchell medium bombers. Its original mission was to fly weather tracks between North America and Allied Western Europe. During the 1946 season, the term "Hurricane Hunters" was first used to describe missions of the 53d WRS. From Gander, the squadron moved to New Hampshire; Florida; Kindley Field, Bermuda; Burtonwood Royal Air Force Station, England, with forward basing at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Bermuda for a short time, and Hunter AFB, Ga. In 1966, now flying the Lockheed WC-130, the 53d WRS once again left the United States, this time for Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico. When Ramey closed in 1973, the Hurricane Hunters relocated to their present location at Keesler AFB, Mississippi.[4]
On September 18, 1953, while based at Kindley Field as the 53d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (M), Weather, the squadron suffered its only mission-related loss of an aircraft, a WB-29. Returning to base with a runaway propeller on one engine, the propeller separated from the engine and struck the engine beside it, setting fire to both the engine and wing. The pilot ordered an immediate bailout, but only nine of the 15-man crew escaped the aircraft before it crashed.[6]
In 1976 the 815th Tactical Airlift Squadron of the Air Force Reserve, also based at Keesler, was redesignated the 815th Weather Squadron "Storm Trackers" and served as an associate squadron to the 53d until 1987, when the 815th reverted to a tactical airlift unit. The Regular Air Force 53d WRS was deactivated in June 1991 for budgetary reasons and its mission assumed by the 815th TAS, which continued its airlift role as well. On November 1, 1993, the 53d WRS was reactivated as an Air Force Reserve squadron to take over the weather reconnaissance mission from the 815th AS.[7]
The WC-130H airframes flown by the 53d WRS were originally built in 1964-65 as C-130Es. 1992's Hurricane Andrew demonstrated a need for upgraded models to continue the mission, and funding for ten replacements was authorized by Congress in FY1998. On October 11, 1999, the 53d WRS received its first WC-130J, and flew its first hurricane mission in the new model on November 16, into Hurricane Lenny. Problems with the new model, primarily damage to its composite material 6-bladed propellers from hail and ice and a lack of sensitivity in its color radar images, delayed its Initial Operational Capability until just before the 2005 hurricane season. The propeller problem was overcome by bonding a metal sleeve to the leading edge of each blade and the radar issue by changes in the radar software coding.[8]
While in conversion to the new airframe, the unit continued its mission of aerial weather reconnaissance and added a new weather-related mission type in 2003, using the WC-130Js to drop buoys ahead of impending tropical storms. In 2004, the unit started training to support tactical airlift missions in addition to its weather mission.[4]
The landfall of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005 caused devastating damage to Keesler Air Force Base. The equipment and personnel of the squadron were flying out of Dobbins Air Reserve Base near Atlanta, Georgia when the hurricane struck and never missed a tasked mission.
The 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flies missions into hurricanes and weather systems for research purposes and observation. Although satellite data has revolutionized weather forecasters' ability to detect early signs of tropical cyclones before they form, there are still many important tasks for which this information is not suitable. Satellites cannot determine the interior barometric pressure of a hurricane, nor provide accurate wind speed information. These data are needed to accurately predict hurricane development and movement. Because satellites cannot collect the data and ships are too slow and vulnerable, the only viable way to collect this information is with aircraft. Meteorological parameters measured are:
The 53d WRS is equipped with ten pallet-instrumented WC-130J aircraft to collect the required meteorological data. The area of responsibility for the "Hurricane Hunters" is midway through the Atlantic Ocean to the Hawaiian Islands, although they have also been tasked to fly into typhoons in the Pacific Ocean on occasion, as well as gather data in winter storms. The Hurricane Hunters are tasked to support 24 hour a day continuous operations with the ability to fly up to 3 storms at a time with a response time of 16 hours. This necessitates a mission organization of ten full-time aircrews and ten part-time. Crews train twice monthly at Keesler AFB and fly weather recon missions when available. The WC-130J employs a five person crew element of a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, aerial reconnaissance weather officer (ARWO), and a weather loadmaster/dropsonde operator.[10]
Since 1969, the 53d WRS also performs winter storm weather reconnaissance off both coasts of the United States between November 1 and April 15 in support of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. These missions are flown at the WC-130's service ceiling of 30,000 ft (9,100 m), which subjects them to turbulence, lightning and icing. The crews collect data ahead of weather systems, dropping weather buoys along their routes, before they move off the eastern seaboard to help determine if the conditions are right to intensify into Nor'easter blizzards. In 1997 and 1998, the Hurricane Hunters also flew winter storms in the Gulf of Alaska. The predetermined tracks are six to eleven hours in duration, with one to three missions flown per major winter storm event.[11]
When a storm is beginning to form, the National Hurricane Center (a division of the National Weather Service located in Miami, Florida, that tracks hurricanes to provide early warning service for Atlantic basin storms) sends the 53d WRS to investigate if the winds are blowing in a counterclockwise rotation, indicating a "closed system". This mission is flown at an altitude of 500 ft (150 m) - 1,500 ft (460 m) above the ocean surface. The ARWO aboard the mission WC-130 continuously monitors ocean waves to determine wind speed and direction. The low-level wind and pressure fields provide an accurate picture for NHC forecasters. Once NHC determines that there is circulation within the disturbance, the mission becomes a "fix" mission.[10]
During the "fix" mission, the ARWO directs the aircraft to the true center of the storm. In order to make a reliable evaluation of the size and configuration of the storm, the crew flies through it using an "alpha pattern" consisting of intercardinal headings with legs 105 nautical miles (190 km) in length. The alpha pattern is repeated twice during the mission. Flight weather data is continuously collected and sent directly to the NHC by satellite communications. Since the WC-130J is not equipped for aerial refueling, the alpha pattern continues until minimum fuel reserve is reached, or until the NHC has received all the data it requires.[10]
Major hurricanes (category 3 or above) are entered at approximately 10,000 ft (3,000 m) altitude.[12] While penetrating the eyewall, a dropsonde is released to determine the maximum winds at the surface and a second dropsonde is released in the eye to detect the lowest pressure at the surface. After exiting the eye, the ARWO creates a Vortex Data Message that includes the precise latitude and longitude of the storm center as well as its maximum winds, maximum temperature, and minimum sea level pressure.[13] The average duration of a "Hurricane Hunter" mission is eleven hours.[10]
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