Air Force Reserve Bryan Trottier said they typically have more than five on board to ensure there are enough people for rest cycles or additional crew for training purposes. Hercules has a crew of at least five, made up of a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, aerial reconnaissance weather officer and weather reconnaissance loadmaster, working together to gather and report data on the weather event they are infiltrating. Its purpose is to go into tropical disturbances, winter storms and hurricanes to collect data, using meteorological instruments. The USAF WC-130J, called Hercules, is also designed for weather reconnaissance missions. NOAA also has a similar plane nicknamed Kermit, but it let Miss Piggy take the spotlight Monday and was not on the tour.
The 46-year-old plane collects low-altitude data on weather events, providing information that cannot be collected on the ground or from satellites. The WP-3D, known as Miss Piggy, contains scientific tools, radars and recording systems to gather data on the atmosphere. The planes on display at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, a WP-3D and a WC-130J, came from NOAA and the United States Air Force. Hurricane season begins in June and ends in November. Gulf Coast cities during Hurricane Awareness week to educate public on preparedness. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunter aircrafts were open for public viewing as part of a Hurricane Awareness Tour at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base. Hundreds waited in line Monday to get a look at Miss Piggy - not the sassy pink Muppet, but rather the hurricane hunter aircraft named after the popular pig. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 8 of8 A researcher seat on “Miss Piggy”, a WP-3D aircraft that is used to collect low-altitude data to fill gaps in data not available from ground-based radar or satellite imagery, on display at the 2023 Hurricane Awareness Tour sponsored by the National Weather Service at Ellington Airport on Monday, in Houston. Jenna Hemphill, holds a Dropsonde, a device used to measure windspeed and direction during a 2023 Hurricane Awareness Tour hosted by the National Weather Service at Ellington Airport on Monday, in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 7 of8 Master Sgt. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 6 of8 Attendees of the National Weather Service’s 2023 Hurricane Awareness Tour wait in line to tour a “Hurricane Hunter” WC-130J airplane at Ellington Airport on Monday, in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 5 of8 Attendees of the National Weather Service’s 2023 Hurricane Awareness Tour read placards as they wait in line to tour a “Hurricane Hunter” WC-130J airplane at Ellington Airport on Monday, in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 4 of8 Attendees of the National Weather Service’s 2023 Hurricane Awareness Tour get an inside view of a “Hurricane Hunter” WC-130J airplane at Ellington Airport on Monday, in Houston.
The National Weather Service is hosting a 2023 Hurricane Awareness Tour, where the public is invited to tour the hurricane hunter aircraft, meet pilots and talk with meteorologists at Ellington Airport on Monday, in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 3 of8
Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer Show More Show Less 2 of8 A list of hurricanes covered by “Miss Piggy” a WP-3D aircraft used to track and collect low-altitude for weather events during the National Weather Service’s 2023 Hurricane Awareness Tour at Ellington Airport on Monday, in Houston. 1 of8 Alex Ferrell, 3, gets some help as he dismounts from a WC-130J airplane that is used to track hurricanes during the National Weather Service’s 2023 Hurricane Awareness Tour, at Ellington Airport on Monday, in Houston.
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