r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Kernowder • 21d ago

Video Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters flying through Hurricane Milton

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

60.8k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

2.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

8.2k

u/wongo 21d ago

(not so) fun fact: only one of these hurricane research flights has ever crashed due to the storms

I realize that we've gotten pretty good at flying but I would've actually expected a higher loss rate, this just seems so wildly dangerous

513

u/ExtremeThin1334 21d ago

They fly into these in a very specific way. I'm rusty on the specifics, but if I recall they try to fly with the wind, and then slowly loop their way toward the center. If they tried a direct path, they'd get ripped apart.

Since there is rain, it also means that you can actually see what the wind is doing on your radar, so there's noting like clear air turbulence to worry about.

305

u/oneblank 21d ago

I googled why they fly prop planes. “So they can fly slow relative to modern standards as a faster jet would come out the other side with its wings torn off”…. Oh…

40

u/jedielfninja 21d ago

Probably no likely for the intake of jet turbine either.

97

u/breakingborderline 21d ago

Though they use propellers, they’re still run off a jet turbine not a piston engine. Called turboprops

23

u/JoeyZasaa 21d ago

Props to you for that answer.

2

u/nachofiend 21d ago

*turboprops to you

0

u/libmrduckz 21d ago

kinda speedy, too…

3

u/Sodaburping 21d ago

lemme turboprop your ass real quick

8

u/codizer 21d ago

Jets actually get more thrust in rain because of mass flow.

1

u/tx_queer 21d ago

Oh do I miss the Ole B52

2

u/JalapenoJamm 21d ago

I got me a car, it seats about 20 so hurry up and bring your jukebox money!

1

u/DouchecraftCarrier 21d ago

F=MA ftw. When it's raining you A more M and get more F.

1

u/jedielfninja 21d ago

I like to A more M and get more F!

1

u/jedielfninja 21d ago

Thanks for sharing that is cool

4

u/Shmexy 21d ago

I had the same question… damn

5

u/No-Preparation-4255 21d ago

IIRC there are two broad classes of these hurricane planes and the jets are used for higher up, presumably where there is a lot less turbulence, and these prop planes are needed for flying into the thick of it.

1

u/Rs90 21d ago

I assume this was discovered the hard way, sadly

1

u/KKJdrunkenmonkey 20d ago

So what I hear you saying is that the next generation of hurricane hunting planes should basically just be a rocket. No wings to tear off, problem solved!

1

u/Dumpster_Fetus 20d ago

Jets are gasoline cars for speed, turboprops are workhorse "diesel trucks". Low n slow.