50th anniversary of the first P-3 hurricane flight
Fifty years ago, NOAA’s newly acquired WP-3D Orion aircraft, N42RF, flew its very first mission into a tropical cyclone.
Meet the Crew: Sofia de Solo, Flight Director
NOAA's in-flight meteorologists are essential to ensuring safety and effective data collection in complex atmospheric conditions. Meet Sofia de Solo, an in-flight meteorologist and flight director at NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center.
Precision from propellers: How NOAA aircraft collect data above, around and in a hurricane
Hunting for hurricane data above, around and in the storm requires the right equipment–and NOAA has it.
Aircraft and uncrewed systems team up to forecast, study tropical cyclones, setting new records
Specialized scientific tools, whether aboard or deployed from an aircraft, or on the water, collected important data and set new records.
Cold-stunned sea turtles make holiday trip south for rehabilitation and release
Holiday travel comes with delays, heavy traffic, overbooked flights and other complications — but for 12 cold-stunned sea turtles, the timing was just right to fly south after an upgrade from standby status.
NOAA Hurricane Hunters collect data on Hurricane Melissa
NOAA Hurricane Hunters flew over 100 hours for Hurricane Melissa, deploying more than 250 dropsondes and 12 uncrewed aircraft systems. Afterward, NOAA’s King Air supported Jamaica’s recovery with high-res aerial imagery.
NOAA deploys aircraft to support weather satellite data validation mission
NOAA deployed one of its two Lockheed WP-3D Orion "hurricane hunter" aircraft (N42RF) to Shannon, Ireland, on Jan. 16 to measure ocean-surface winds in winter storms over the North Atlantic.
NOAA awards contract for next-generation hurricane hunter aircraft
NOAA announced on September 27 that it has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, based in Georgia, for two specialized C-130J Hercules aircraft to become the next generation of NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft.
