Hurricane Hunters fly first operation WC-130J mission

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KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFPN) --  The first storm of the 2005 hurricane season came a little early this year appearing in the Pacific off the coast of Central America. Hurricane Adrian also marked the beginning of a new era in weather reconnaissance for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron’s “Hurricane Hunters” here.

When thunderous winds threatening El Salvador formed Tropical Storm Adrian in the Pacific recently, the National Hurricane Center called on Air Force Reserve Command's hurricane hunters to get a fix on the storm's location.

This mission was the first operational tasking in which the crew flew a WC-130J Hercules into an active hurricane. The unit has been converting to the new airframe for the past few seasons, ensuring it is a stable platform to conduct weather reconnaissance. During previous seasons, the unit has flown the J-model into storms for training and evaluation, but has never before fulfilled such a tasking from the hurricane center in the J-model.

While Hurricane Hunters were determining the location of Tropical Storm Adrian, it was immediately upgraded to a hurricane during the first leg of their reconnaissance mission. During the 11-hour flight, winds reached 105 mph at flight-level and eventually forced up to 20,000 residents to flee their homes before weakening as it moved inland.

The crew said the aircraft allowed significant improvements in their operational awareness during the mission.

The J-model features a "glass" cockpit packed with the latest in computer-assisted flight and navigational controls allowing crews to focus on their in-flight tasks.

"The plane performed very well. The biggest difference was our increased situational awareness," said Lt. Col. Dave Borsi, aircraft commander. "Because of the new computer system, we were better able to see where we were in the storm. While we were there, data we provided led to the (hurricane center) upgrading it to a hurricane, giving the people along the coast a more accurate picture of what to expect."

"The WC-130J and the 403rd (Wing) team were vital in our ability to provide the people of El Salvador and Honduras advanced warning of Adrian's landfall and potential impacts in El Salvador and neighboring countries," said Max Mayfield, National Hurricane Center director. "El Salvador's president, Antonio Saca, interrupted a national press conference to advise his nation of this latest data, including information from the aircraft."

Aerial reconnaissance weather officers, who collect and transmit information from the aircraft directly to the hurricane center, said it has taken some time and patience to develop software and to adapt computer systems to the unique needs of the storm reconnaissance mission.

"It has taken six years to create the best system possible to produce the most accurate data for the meteorological analyses during flight," said Lt. Col. Steve Renwick, the mission's weather officer instructor. "Our first evaluation occurred during Hurricane Lenny six summers ago. We've come a long way since."

The new weather console is significantly improved from its predecessor's configuration -- the WC-130H. The weather officer can now see simultaneous displays of the weather data as well as instruments monitored by other crewmembers that are vital to performing the job.

"In the H-model, we had to look over the navigator's shoulder to see the basic radar pattern," Colonel Renwick said.

The new system places the weather officer in the cargo area rather than on the flight deck allowing immediate observation of sea-surface winds, a critical part of storm assessment.

Changes to the way the data is collected and delivered to the hurricane center have also been improved to reduce confusion, center officials said.

"All the software and hardware worked as advertised,” said Lt. Col. Jon Talbot, also an aerial reconnaissance weather officer. “Situational awareness is much improved over the H-model."

Maintainers recovering the aircraft also reported that the aircraft held up well under the stresses of a storm environment.

"We haven't found any problems with the propellers," said Maj. Kelvin McElroy, 403rd Maintenance Squadron commander.

The propellers on the J-model are six-bladed and are made of a composite material, as opposed to the four-bladed configuration of the H-models.

Maintainers found a few routine indications that are typical after any storm, but were able to quickly assess them using a computerized diagnostic system. This is a marked change from the recovery process of the older aircraft that included many analog systems and instruments. Today, crew chiefs plug in a portable computer that pinpoints any concerns and tells them what is needed to make corrections.

The Hurricane Hunters are ready to complete the transition to the new aircraft this season, said Brig. Gen. Richard Moss, 403rd Wing commander.

"This mission is the culmination of a lot of work (allowing) the WC-130J to perform its mission,” he said. “Increased situational awareness of the crew and the increased safety of the J-model's performance enhance the unit's ability to locate and pinpoint these dangerous storms. These same capabilities also allowed the unit's sister squadron to recently complete a highly successful tour in Southwest Asia. This simply goes to show that the C-130J will be a great asset to the Air Force."