(from left to right)
John McHugh KU4GY / Cpt. Dave Tennesen NL7MT / Lt. John Adler KD6CFW / Flt.
Dir. Tom Shepherd WB5ELO / Julio Ripoll WD4R
The WX4NHC
Coordinators enjoyed a personalized tour of NOAA's Hurricane
Hunter WP-3D "Orion" airplane.
Three of the crew members we met with were Ham Radio Operators.
Even though this airplane's nickname is "Miss Piggy",
the job they do is very serious.
This airplane has penetrated 59 Hurricanes since 1977.
Cpt. Tennesen NL7MT contacted WX4NHC directly last year from the
eye of
Hurricane Debby to test backup HF communications to NHC.
During our tour, we discussed plans to install an APRS TNC to
beacon on 30 meters and
track on Internet APRS sites like APRS
Net or www.findu.com.
WX4NHC will be donating some of the equipment and assisting with
setup and testing.
A public announcement will be made once the equipment is
installed and tested.
Our thanks to the crew of the Hurricane Hunters for their
dedication and important contributions to Hurricane Forecasting.
Hurricane Hunters Home Page
For more information on the
Hurricane Hunter WP-3D aircraft click here.
return to WX4NHC Picture & Article Gallery Index page (click here)