Low Level Flights Hoped To Produce New Data

Hurricane Noel is giving researchers their first chance to test out Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as hurricane research aircraft. The remote controlled plane was launched November 2, from Wallops Island, VA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told the Associated Press.

The craft will fly into the storm at low level to measure its winds, which have been averaging about 80 mph. testing the aircraft’s strength and ability to monitor the storm while in flight.

The Aerosonde-built UAV is five feet long with a wing span of 10 feet and was expected to penetrate the hurricane eyewall or storm center Friday night, November 2 during its anticipated 20 hour long mission.

"Unmanned flights at very low altitude are important since they give us unique insights and continuous observations in a region of the storm where the ocean's energy is directly transferred to the atmosphere just above. Attempting this type of research flight with our hurricane hunter aircraft would risk the lives of our crew and scientists," said Joe Cione, hurricane researcher at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, and project manager for the Aerosonde field study.

The flights will be monitored by Cione from NOAA’s Miami based National Hurricane Center.

Agency officials said that scientists are hoping for new data from near surface flights that are too risky for manned flights.

FMI: www.noaa.gov, www.aerosonde.com/