Flying Into the Storm: A Cool Trip to See the Hurricane Hunters at Belize International

If you live on a Caribbean island or in Central America…or in an ever growing chunk of our hemisphere, hurricane season is no abstract concept. From June to November – the official season… I am extra thankful to have my boyfriend Jeff. He is that guy who is ON IT.

As soon as a strong summer wind blows off Western Africa…Jeff is asking me if I think we should put up the hurricane shutters. “Hey…have you seen what the GFS is calling for in 18 days!!!????” Refreshing the National Hurricane Center website, tracking the millibars, watching and waiting for the latest storm information drop.

My summer/fall soundtrack in Jeff listening to/watching the video updates from Levi Cowan on Tropical Tidbits.

While I am the person whose strongest defense mechanism is DENIAL.

So when I stumbled across a Facebook post from Belize’s Meteorological Service announcing that the 53rd Reconnaissance Squadron – the US Air Force Hurricane Hunters – would be visiting Philip Goldson International Airport and opening their plane to media, groups, and school children, I did what any good partner would do. I asked if we could visit. Because some folks look up to movie stars or sports heroes, Jeff idolizes the Hurricane Hunters. (Don’t even mention the time that the Hurricane Hunter flew into Hugo…888 mbs…oh boy!)

We set up the appointment about a month ago – a 15 minute slot – and splurged on some Tropic Air tickets from San Pedro to BZD.

And we planned to get there early.

We arrived to find we were not alone. Hundreds of school children were lining up to visit, Belize news crews were packing up after a press conference, and ministers including Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler were on hand – along with the Chargé d’Affaires from the US Consulate.

(I had to look it up: a Chargé d’Affaires is a lower ranking diplomat that leads a mission in absence of an ambassador)

The plane itself – a WC-130J operated out of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi – was hard to miss as we landed with Tropic Air. But getting close to it? My first impression is that its a huge hollow metal tube.

This is not a plane built for comfort. It is built for one thing: flying directly into the most dangerous storms on the planet and bringing back the data that helps the rest of us prepare. What insane bravery…

But the real highlight was the crew. Men and women in Top Gun flight suits.

We spent a good while talking with the very gracious Lt. Colonel Ryan Rickert, who grew up in Pennsylvania and studied meteorology – the kid who was fascinated with the Weather Channel growing up. Lt. Colonel Rickert told Jeff to ask him anything.

What Jeff was most excited about – and what I initially mistook for a paper towel tube – was the dropsonde. Up to 25 of these sensors are dropped into a storm during a single mission, transmitting data on wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure as they fall.

Those are the numbers that feed the updates Jeff refreshes obsessively from June to November. The crew also drops buoys to measure ocean surface temperatures and currents — data that helps forecasters understand how a storm is likely to behave. That unassuming little tube, it turns out, is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

There were also a few representatives from NOAA, which operates its own separate but complementary fleet of hurricane hunters alongside the Air Force.

Belize was a stop on a Hurricane Awareness trip that they do every year. WE ARE AWARE! Every year, two weeks before hurricane season begins, the 53rd embarks on an educational tour of the region – stopping in areas that sit directly in the path of the storms they spend their season chasing.

If you are wondering: The last Storm that damaged Ambergris Caye was Hurricane Earl (Cat One) in 2016. More storm surge than wind – the combo took down many docks on the island

Before we left, one of the crew asked us what they should see while they were in Belize…in just a few hours. He mentioned the Blue Hole…which was kinda perfect. Something he said they would try to fly over on the way out. I wonder if they did… I also wonder how they would actually see it. This plane…as far as I could tell…didn’t have any windows!

We met 4 or 5 different members of the team – men and women – from all over the US. And Jeff profusely thanked them. For their bravery…and to impress upon them how THANKFUL we are for what they do. They save lives, they save property…the information they provide…it’s priceless.

And then we moved along…while we were some of the first on the plane after the government representatives, we were not the last. There were a few hundred school kids lining up to see it next.

Crazy cool experience. 5 stars 🙂