The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I walked along the concrete flight ramp at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida. Before me, silhouetted by the rising sun, sat one of atmospheric science's most important and imposing tools, a NOAA WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter aircraft. A deck of cirrocumulus dotted a teal sky and the morning's air rested without a hint of wind; a peaceful scene that belied the drama of the day's upcoming mission: to penetrate the eye of Hurricane Ophelia, a Category 1 storm that was currently battering the southern coastline of North Carolina. Exhaustion from a sleepless night of travel evaporated as I stood below the wing of the Orion and imagined it roaring into the center of Ophelia. I climbed into the fuselage for the pre-flight brief. "You're free to roam about the craft, but as soon as you see the red 'fasten seat belt' sign light up and hear the alarm, get back to your seat and do just that, fasten your seat belt," instructed Lieutenant Commander Michael Silah. He added, "It can go from nice and smooth to violent turbulence in an instant."
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