Hurricane
The crew takes readings from their weather instruments and radios the information back to the ground station. The meterologists at the National Meterological Center in Washington, D.C., use the information to help them make weather predictions.
There are several instruments that hang down from the underside of the back part of the plane. One of these uses infrared light rays to sense the temperature of the water below. This temperature is recorded inside the plane.
The temperature of the water below the surface of the water can be measured by a BT which stands for bathythermograph. The BT is dropped from the plane and floats on the water. A thin wire carries a temperature-sensing element down through the water at the rate of 300 feet per minute. Inside the BT, the salt water from the sea starts a battery that supplies power for sending radio signals back to the plane. This radio signal changes according to the temperature of the water below. After the temperatures are taken, a water-soluble seal on the BT dissolves and the BT fills with water and sinks.
A machine inside the plane collects all data, i.e., when the reading was taken, which direction the plane was heading, at what speed, wind speed, wind direction, the air pressure, the air temperature, description of the clouds, and transmits back to the ground station.
The flight meteorologist, or metro as his teammates call him, keeps the pilot and crew informed as to the changing weather conditions. He and his assistants make reports to be radioed back to the ground weather station. If they don't receive a report from the plane every half hour, they send a message to the plane. If they get no radio response, they try other radio frequencies. If an hour and a half should go by without hearing from the plane, a search and rescue mission is planned.
When they were close enough to the storm, the plane's radar equipment gave them a good view of the cloud pattern around the eye of the hurricane. The pilot, navigator, and radar officer studied the pattern and decided which would be the best way to enter the eye. The reflection of the radar showed an almost clear eye surrounded by a circle of clouds. The picture on the radar looked like a giant donut.
Hurricanes have two kinds of motion. In the northern hemisphere, winds within a hurricane always blow around an area of low pressure in a counter-clockwise direction. This gives the storm a circular pattern. In addition, this storm mass as a whole moves across the water. The direction of this motion is not always the same. In order to predict the path of a storm, Air Force or Navy planes fly into the eye of a storm every six hours and locate the point of lowest pressure. By marking this spot on a chart, they are able to follow its direction. Using this information, meteorologists can make a good guess as to where the storm will go next. They can warn ships at sea to stay clear of that area. They can warn people on land to be ready for possible severe winds and rains that can destroy property and take lives.
They decided the best path on which to fly into the storm would be between the trailing cloud bands. The clear space between the bands would not be so rough to fly in. They could stay at a higher altitude and still see the water. After they flew closer to the eye, they would run out of clear space between the clouds and have to drop down under the clouds. Once the pilot made the decision to go ahead and enter the storm center, it was the metro's job to guide the plane safely in.
There are several instruments that hang down from the underside of the back part of the plane. One of these uses infrared light rays to sense the temperature of the water below. This temperature is recorded inside the plane.
The temperature of the water below the surface of the water can be measured by a BT which stands for bathythermograph. The BT is dropped from the plane and floats on the water. A thin wire carries a temperature-sensing element down through the water at the rate of 300 feet per minute. Inside the BT, the salt water from the sea starts a battery that supplies power for sending radio signals back to the plane. This radio signal changes according to the temperature of the water below. After the temperatures are taken, a water-soluble seal on the BT dissolves and the BT fills with water and sinks.
A machine inside the plane collects all data, i.e., when the reading was taken, which direction the plane was heading, at what speed, wind speed, wind direction, the air pressure, the air temperature, description of the clouds, and transmits back to the ground station.
The flight meteorologist, or metro as his teammates call him, keeps the pilot and crew informed as to the changing weather conditions. He and his assistants make reports to be radioed back to the ground weather station. If they don't receive a report from the plane every half hour, they send a message to the plane. If they get no radio response, they try other radio frequencies. If an hour and a half should go by without hearing from the plane, a search and rescue mission is planned.
When they were close enough to the storm, the plane's radar equipment gave them a good view of the cloud pattern around the eye of the hurricane. The pilot, navigator, and radar officer studied the pattern and decided which would be the best way to enter the eye. The reflection of the radar showed an almost clear eye surrounded by a circle of clouds. The picture on the radar looked like a giant donut.
Hurricanes have two kinds of motion. In the northern hemisphere, winds within a hurricane always blow around an area of low pressure in a counter-clockwise direction. This gives the storm a circular pattern. In addition, this storm mass as a whole moves across the water. The direction of this motion is not always the same. In order to predict the path of a storm, Air Force or Navy planes fly into the eye of a storm every six hours and locate the point of lowest pressure. By marking this spot on a chart, they are able to follow its direction. Using this information, meteorologists can make a good guess as to where the storm will go next. They can warn ships at sea to stay clear of that area. They can warn people on land to be ready for possible severe winds and rains that can destroy property and take lives.
They decided the best path on which to fly into the storm would be between the trailing cloud bands. The clear space between the bands would not be so rough to fly in. They could stay at a higher altitude and still see the water. After they flew closer to the eye, they would run out of clear space between the clouds and have to drop down under the clouds. Once the pilot made the decision to go ahead and enter the storm center, it was the metro's job to guide the plane safely in.
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