Photo By Ryan Labadens | A WC-130J aircraft from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron prepares to taxi onto...... read more read more
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KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Whether flying into a tropical wave or a Category 5 hurricane, members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron spend hours, even days, working and reworking crew schedules and flight plans before executing a storm mission.
Before the first mission of the season takes flight, before the storm season even begins, there are numerous preparations that need to take place to ensure the "Hurricane Hunters" are able to get off the ground once storm season hits.
The hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30 each year. The main location where Hurricane Hunters forward deploy to fly storms on the Atlantic side is the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
One month before the season begins, 403rd Wing members arrive in St. Croix from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., to start setting up the facilities they use. This "roll out" time involves several factors, said Chief Master Sgt. Vincent Armata, 403rd Maintenance Squadron aircraft maintenance superintendant.
"We come down in May every year and do what we call a 'roll out' to set everything up, such as test equipment, tool boxes, aircraft parts and satellite communications equipment," said Armata. "Maintenance data computers and printers are set up and activated. Aerospace ground equipment is serviced and secured in the facility which serves as our forward operating location."
To accomplish this, 403rd members need to coordinate between the United States Port Authority, airport fire department and fixed based operators in St. Croix to ensure contracts are up to date, flight schedules are approved, and fuel is available when needed. In addition, hotel rooms and rental car reservations need to be scheduled for 403rd members.
Lt. Col. Roy Deatherage, a 53rd WRS aerial reconnaissance weather officer who has served as mission commander for several storm deployments, said the Hurricane Hunters need at least 16 hours notice from the National Hurricane Center, plus en route flight time, to deploy for a storm tasking. Normally storm taskings on the Atlantic side of the U.S. forward deploy to St. Croix, while taskings on the Pacific side deploy to Hickam AFB, Hi.
"The National Hurricane Center or the Central Pacific Hurricane Center will task us to fly storm missions throughout the hurricane season, and we'll fly storms in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, and even out in the East Pacific near the Baja Peninsula and as far out as Hawaii," said Deatherage. "So we have to make sure we deploy enough people, aircraft and assets to our forward operating location to accomplish the tasking."
For a typical storm tasking, Deatherage said the 403rd Wing deploys at least three WC-130J aircraft, three aircrews plus operations staff members, 403rd MXS crew chiefs and other maintainers, as well as members from other units such as the 41st Aerial Port Squadron. If an aircraft has maintenance issues, Armata said maintainers normally bring enough equipment to perform quick repair of the aircraft, and a spare aircraft will be on stand-by.
However some problems, like major flight control issues or an engine change, would require additional parts to be flown in from Keesler AFB. If a storm heads toward St. Croix, the Hurricane Hunters may need to relocate to another forward operating location, such as Curacao or Grenada, or hold up in St. Croix, said Deatherage. Once the season ends, the Hurricane Hunters, maintainers and 41st APS personnel start to clean up and shut down operations in St. Croix.
"In December we'll do a 'roll up,' which is basically a week-long operation," said Armata. "We'll come down here and methodically return items like aircraft parts, tools and test equipment to Keesler. We'll also service some of the aerospace ground equipment that will remain here through the winter, clean up the building and continue to keep the lines of communication open with the fire department and port authority."
All of the planning and scheduling throughout the season helps keep the Hurricane Hunter mission flowing, regardless of whatever Mother Nature throws their way.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 01.26.2017 14:13 |
| Story ID: | 221511 |
| Location: | KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Roll out and roll up: The logistics of hurricane hunting, by Ryan Labadens, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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