On Wednesday, May 10, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to visit the National Hurricane Center’s Hurricane Awareness Tour at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. I had also attended this event several years ago, but I do not remember much about it. However, unlike last time, this time I was able to see the WC-130J AF309 Hurricane Hunter aircraft. Last season I began to closely monitor the Air Force reconnaissance flights to get a better idea of the rate of intensification (or weakening) of storms, so I decided to go visit the airport to see the aircraft as this was a rare opportunity.

I arrived at the airport just after 3:00 p.m. to see a long line. I was not expecting a long line, but quite a large crowd showed up! I had to wait a full hour just to get in to the General Aviation building.  There were a few exhibits on display inside the building, but the main attraction was the WC-130J AF309 Hurricane Hunter aircraft, located on the tarmac outside. There was also a smaller NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft, but it was not open to the public to tour. I continued to wait in line for another hour outside, before I was finally able to enter the aircraft around 5:00 p.m.  Just outside the aircraft was a vendor selling Hurricane Hunters t-shirts – they were cool so I had to get one.

 

Inside the aircraft, I was not able to spend much time looking at it closely, but I was able to get a look at the entire aircraft. I was shocked to see the passenger seats on the plane – it looked like they were just fabric straps with a seat cushion!  I then saw the computer screens used to examine the meteorological data, but they were not on. On the way out, I was able to get a quick look at the cockpit – it actually looked fairly typical for an aircraft cockpit.

After we exited the plane, I left the airport and went home. Overall, I would say it was worth the wait. I finally got to see what an Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft looked like on the inside. I’d recommend going to the Hurricane Awareness Tour if it ever comes to your area – but be sure to show up early! I’ll be back for another post tomorrow about the general conditions of the Atlantic.