Quote:
|
All the coverage of the cyclone has me curious... While it's obviously unsafe to fly through a cyclone, is it safe to fly above one? How high would the extreme winds and turbulence actually reach? And how much distance do airline pilots generally like to keep between themselves and such weather (when at cruise alt)?
|
This kind of follows on from what Gareth was asking...
In the U.S., the USAF in collaboration with NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) regularly conduct meteorological and scientific flights through the heart of thunderstorms and hurricanes. A number of different aircraft specially fitted with scientific and recording instruments are used for this purpose, including Gulfstream, P3 Orions, etc.
There are a number of videos on youtube, including one of a NOAA plane flying through the eye of hurricane Katrina which later went on to hit New Orleans.
Just wondering if we have any such flights conducted in Australia (either by the federal funded BOM or RAAF aircraft that are quickly fitted out for the purpose just prior to a storm/cyclone)?
Some links to NOAA videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLcf9mepUro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5YwvJhu2EY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWVMcLQioQs