OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – EAA Airventure in Oshkosh officially kicks off today.
One of the unique aircraft’s visitors will see is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunter.
The G-4 jet, nicknamed ‘Gonzo’ touched down Sunday.
“This is a very unique aircraft,” said N.O.A.A. Pilot, Cmdr. Douglas MacIntyre.
“It’s designed for a very special mission to go out and around the wind field around hurricane storms.”
MacIntyre tells FOX 11 the modified aircraft can fly up to 45,000 feet, the altitude needed to track and monitor the eye of a hurricane.
“Almost like a flying weather center with computers, sensors. We’re able to capture that much more of the air environment and air mass.”
From the cock-pit to the crew of meteorologists tracking storm data.
“You really have to have one person concentrating on the safety of the airplane,” said N.O.A.A. Flight Director, Jack Parrish.
“And the navigation of it, and the other one worrying about the data going out of the airplane.”
Parrish tells FOX 11 during each 8-hour mission weather sensors are dropped into the atmosphere.
The sensors, he says track weather patterns allowing them to gauge where the storm is going.
“They’re in the air for about 15-mins. They’re transmitting back temperatures, pressure, and uses GPS to navigate it.”
‘Gonzo’ has flown through some of the most recent hurricanes in the U.S. including Hurricane Irma and Harvey.
“The storms kept us quite busy last season, flying nearly every single one of them many times on 24-hour operations,” explained MacIntyre.
While from the outside it may look like any other jet, MacIntyre says it’s built to take on some of the most dangerous storm conditions.
“An emergency over a storm, you can’t just decide to descend and go back.”
The aircraft will be on display at EAA through Tuesday.
