Hunting Jerry!
The “Hurricane Hunters” of the US Air Force’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron returned to Curacao on October 7th, in order to fly missions related to tropical storm Jerry.
Departing from Keesler AFB, 3 of the unit’s WC-130J Weatherbirds made their way to our island. First to arrive was 97-5206 (direct as TEAL 82) followed by 97-5303 (via St-Croix as TEAL 81) and 99-5309 (via St-Croix as TEAL 83).
The detachment began flying operations the following morning, with the 4-engined workhorses being visible on Flightradar24 for the majority of their missions.
Data collected by the WC-130J is transmitted live during the flight to the National Hurricane Center and used to predict a storm’s track and intensity, helping government officials and emergency management organizations make informed decisions about evacuations and other measures.
The trio returned to Keesler AFB on October 11th, departing just before 2pm.
(Click on an image to enlarge)
