NOAA aircraft collect vital data this hurricane season
With Hurricane Beryl becoming the earliest Category 5 and Hurricane Milton becoming the fifth strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, it has been an eventful hurricane season. To date, NOAA's two WP-3D Orions and Gulfstream IV-SP aircraft have flown 58 missions, totaling more than 360 flight hours, to collect data vital to hurricane forecasts and research.
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NOAA Twin Otter studies Arctic sea ice retreat
In June, a NOAA Twin Otter flew over the Bering and Chukchi Seas to study sea ice retreat and phytoplankton, including harmful algal blooms. The team dropped small buoys from the aircraft to measure ocean surface conditions. They also used a special camera fixed to the plane to collect data needed to provide important insights into how sea ice retreat affects marine life.
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Innovative technology elevates ice seal surveys
In the spring, a NOAA King Air conducted Bering Sea ice seals surveys out of Nome, Alaska in an effort to assess the seals' behavior, movement, life history and the environment in which they live. The survey team leveraged advanced technology and an innovative new science equipment configuration aboard the aircraft to detect seal populations from the air.
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Record-breaking uncrewed aircraft systems flights
This hurricane season, a small uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) deployed from a NOAA WP-3D Orion, the Blackswift S0, set multiple records. In Helene, it broke the records for the longest endurance of a UAS in a hurricane at 105 minutes and for the longest communication connection range to the P-3 at 191 miles. In Hurricane Milton, the Blackswift S0 measured its highest wind speed at 209 knots. These successes are major steps forward in NOAA’s continued testing of aerial drones to gather storm data key to understanding how tropical cyclones form, build, and intensify.
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Looking for leatherback sea turtles from a NOAA Twin Otter
A NOAA Twin Otter recently supported leatherback sea turtle surveys along the U.S. West Coast. These surveys are essential for gaining insights into leatherback biology and population patterns. With support from small boats for tagging operations, the team captured a valuable look at these remarkable turtles in their natural environment.
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Heritage
Before NOAA acquired its two Lockheed WP-3D Orions in the 1970s, the agency and its predecessors conducted hurricane research with a pair of Douglas DC-6s, including the one pictured here, among other aircraft. These aircraft were also used for other atmospheric research programs.
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Featured Photo
 National Weather Service Director Ken Graham with WP-3D Orion "Miss Piggy" crew members in front of the aircraft following a flight into Hurricane Helene. Credit: Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Rannenberg, NOAA Corps
On the Radar
NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft support research missions year-round. While they still keep an eye on the tropics until Nov. 30, our crews and technicians are making plans to transition to winter season missions. The next missions for the NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft take them to very different locations.
“Gonzo,” the Gulfstream IV-SP, will be stationed in Hawaii early next year, flying over the Eastern Tropical Pacific to measure moisture levels in atmospheric rivers on their way to the West Coast.
While one of our WP-3D Orions, “Miss Piggy,” undergoes maintenance in Waco, Texas, the other P-3 (“Kermit”) will fly through North Atlantic winter storms. These flights help calibrate and validate satellite remote sensing products and techniques of the ocean surface in the storm environment.
Our King Air and Twin Otter aircraft will continue with marine mammal surveys and coastal mapping missions, while also starting data collection for the snow survey project. They begin flying survey lines over the northern U.S., southern Canada, and Alaska to measure soil moisture levels ahead of the first snowfall. Later in the winter, they retrace these lines to measure the snowpack's water content, providing essential data to help forecasters predict snowmelt flooding, river flow rates, and potential drought conditions.
We look forward to sharing accomplishments from this winter with you in the next issue of Flightlines. Be sure to follow us on social media!
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