Any volunteers?

[srqwho]

http://www.newscientist.com/article...sonic-hurricane-neutraliser.html?DCMP=OTC-rss

hmmm. I'm thinking it would really suck if for some reason or another the pilot had to bail out while he was neutralizing a hurricane.

 

[statesman]

Im not so sure this is a good idea. I dont like the idea of humans messing around with weather. Disrupting a hurricane and manipulating one of the key ways that the Earth balances its global energy budget just sounds like a recipe for disaster.

 

[MIDNJAC]

I agree....though obviously destructive, hurricanes also help maintain the gulf area ecosystems as well as facilitating atmospheric heat and moisture transfer. While they might not suit us very well as coastal beach dwellers, I have to think that there is a greater purpose for them than just deadly annoyances....

 

[CommodoreMid]

I'm not sure if we necessarily should use this as other people have stated, but if it does work that's pretty frickin cool. Who is crazier, however: the C-130 types who fly into the hurricanes to collect data or someone who would fly a jet above the speed of sound around the eye? You couldn't pay me enough to do either.

 

[srqwho]

Agreed and agreed. Plus, our history of hurricane modification hasn't been exactly stellar. During one attempt, the day after the hurricane was seeded it turned around 180 degrees and hit Georgia.

The article mentions A-4s, but the patent on the books has F-117ish looking things doing the work.

 

[srqwho]

I'm not sure if we necessarily should use this as other people have stated, but if it does work that's pretty frickin cool. Who is crazier, however: the C-130 types who fly into the hurricanes to collect data or someone who would fly a jet above the speed of sound around the eye? You couldn't pay me enough to do either.

I'm pretty sure they are modified P-3s. I actually was at MacDill last year and took a tour of the NOAA hanger where they keep their hurricane research aircraft. The pilot also had quite a few stories as you can imagine.

Pic was taken from NOAA's site.

 

[Bevo16]

Maybe we can get this guy.....

...to fly around in really tight circles inside the eye wall. He could carry a chunk of iron the size of a battleship to increase the size of the shock wave thus eliminating the need for a second aircraft. Superman also burns no fossil fuels when he flies, so this is a "green" solution.

If this ends up totally fucking up the ecosystem, then he can just fly against the earth rotation at the speed of light, reverse the earth's rotational direction and turn back time (just like he did in his first movie to save Lois). Only Superman will even know that this took place, so when time starts back up again and we come to him with the idea, he can just say: "Nah, I don't think that would work." and we will agree with him because he is Superman.

Sorry, stupid questions deserve stupid answers.

 

[Birdog8585]

No no no Bevo, we need these guys to take a crack at it. Obviously they are professionals and know exactly what they are doing.

 

[HAL Pilot]

Next time a hurricane heads toward NOLA, can we fly the F-4s in the other direction to make it stronger instead?

 

[exhelodrvr]

^ Sounds like a couple of billion dollars worth of research for the Air Force in next year's budget.

 

[scoolbubba]

This is going to take at least three requests for proposals, 112 billion dollars of R&D, produce two prototypes, get delayed at least 4 times by congress, fall behind schedule on the order of decades, and be cancelled twenty five years from now as "unfeasible."

 

[C420sailor]

Sounds like fun, but I'm also a moron so......sign me up!

 

[CommodoreMid]

I'm pretty sure they are modified P-3s. I actually was at MacDill last year and took a tour of the NOAA hanger where they keep their hurricane research aircraft. The pilot also had quite a few stories as you can imagine.

Pic was taken from NOAA's site.

Huh learn something new every day. I had always heard they used C-130s, but never bothered to look it up.

 

[Flash]

.....the C-130 types who fly into the hurricanes to collect data or someone who would fly a jet above the speed of sound around the eye? You couldn't pay me enough to do either.

I'm pretty sure they are modified P-3s. I actually was at MacDill last year and took a tour of the NOAA hanger where they keep their hurricane research aircraft. The pilot also had quite a few stories as you can imagine.

There are actually several different types of aircraft that fly in and over hurricanes to study and track them. The USAF reserves has a squadron of 10 WC-130's based out of Keesler AFB, their main job is hurricane hunting. NOAA has two WP-3D's (maybe one more soon) that do general weather research as well as hurricane hunting during the season. Both fly into different parts of the storm to collect data. NOAA also has a G-IV that flies over the hurricanes to collect even more data. NOAA is also studying using UAV's too.

I got a buddy that is a Nav on WP-3D's and I looked into it too, don't have the science/engineering degree they look for though.

WC-130

WP-3D

Gulfstream IV

 

[MIDNJAC]

If you ever live in the path of a hurricane (or just care to read the NHC discussions) they refer to "Air Force Reconnaissance aircraft" or "NOAA Recon aircraft" depending on who it is who flew for that particular period. It seems like the WC-130's did the vast majority of flights that I read about during Ike and Dolly this year, FWIW.