KBRwyle Supports NOAA Flights into Hurricane Irma
As Hurricane Irma raged through the Caribbean last fall, a team of pilots, scientists, and engineers made numerous flights into the storm in pursuit of data to aid in predicting its path and severity, and to support hurricane research. Among the crewmembers was KBRwyle's Todd Tufnell, a P-3 flight engineer supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Flight Engineer Todd Tufnell, pictured behind NOAA's co-pilots as they fly into Hurricane Irma on Sept. 5, 2017.
Known as the Hurricane Hunters, the mission of the NOAA flight crew is to fly into the bands of the storm and through the eyewalls to gather scientific data. The information is used to help forecasters and scientists predict the path of the hurricane and scope of its impact. This team is the voice of the storm, interpreting what it is telling us through data analysis. Their work helps save lives, mitigate property loss, and issue warnings and forecasts.
KBRwyle Flight Engineer Todd Tufnell, pictured in green flight suit, maintains proper airspeeds as NOAA pilots fly into Hurricane Irma on Sept. 5, 2017.
As a flight engineer, Tufnell is key in ensuring flight safety—a challenging task when facing a Category 5 hurricane that reached sustained winds of 185 MPH. During these flights, Tufnell helps verify that aircraft systems are operational and the proper airspeed is maintained. Airspeed maintenance is vital when penetrating a hurricane.
Over the course of Hurricane Irma, Tufnell supported seven flights totaling more than 50 flight hours. This marked his tenth hurricane penetration as a flight engineer.
Inside the eye of Category 5 Hurricane Irma on Sept. 5, 2017. (Photo by Cmdr. Scott Price, NOAA)
KBRwyle has supported NOAA for more than two decades, including providing a broad spectrum of weather forecasting and tracking services, scientific computing, airworthiness engineering, as well as engineering and operations support for satellite communications, ground systems, and data services.
Click here to watch as the NOAA Hurricane Hunters fly into Hurricane Irma.
