Reconnaissance aircraft
Forecasters rely on data collected by three different aircraft to monitor a hurricane's intensity and motion. Two are highly specialized planes operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the third is operated by the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
WP-3D Orion
The most sophisticated plane, it carries advanced instruments to measure surface wind speed. The NOAA aircraft flies into the eye of a hurricane at 10,000 feet, releasing dropwindsondes.
Up to 50 per mission are released, and they transmit data by radio. The top is a parachute to stabilize decent, and the bottom is a humidity sensor. They are about 16 in. long.
Gulfstream IV-SP
This unique NOAA aircraft flies at high altitudes in the environment around a hurricane. The jet uses dropwindsondes to measure the steering currents that determine a storm's direction.
C-130 Hercules
Operated by the Air Force Reserve, it penetrates the storm's eye wall like NOAA's Orion, following an "alpha" flight path. By releasing dropwindsondes, it records a hurricane's most violent winds near the ocean surface.
This story was originally published May 20, 2010 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Reconnaissance aircraft."