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Hurricane Hunter Flight Into Felix

Fly Into Cat-5 Felix With The Hurricane Hunters...Incredible Video!
Original Blog Date: Thursday, September 5, 2007

In the "update" to my blog on Monday, Sept 2 (see below), I referenced a reconnaissance flight forced to turn back out of Hurricane Felix due to aircraft stress caused by extreme turbulence. Flying into a hurricane...especially a Cat-5 bombing out...is both exhilarating and extremely dangerous. Few people on the planet garner more respect (and envy) from me than those who so expertly do their job that we consider it routine. It is not.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly into a Category-5 monster? I invite you to click the link below to get a small sense of what it is like. This video was shot on the flight subsequent to the mission that was halted. You will be flying in the dark right into the eyewall of Felix as a Category-5 tropical cyclone. Absolutely awesome still photographs follow your ride into the eye. The video is scored by a most appropriate song. Here's the link: http://www.airshowbuzz.com/videos/view.php?v=9f061057

Your computer needs both Flash and Java enabled to watch and the video loads easily with a high speed connection. I suggest you full screen the video clip, turn up your speakers and turn off the lights. You'll get a feel for how bumpy even a "quiet ride" into an eyewall can be. Note the lightning as that is not common with all hurricanes and usually is observed during intensification. Also, you'll notice a red light keeps lighting up; when you see it, the pilot has idled the throttle due to turbulence. Imagine bouncing around in the eyewall of a Cat-5 with the throttle off! Wow.

I would like to thank John in Kentucky for sending me the link to this amazing video.

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