Hurricane Pilots

From their high perch, ER-2 pilots get a different view of the hurricane's eye than the DC-8 crew. NASA's ER-2 research aircraft is an elegant-looking plane, and its resemblance to the famous U-2 is no coincidence - the ER-2 is a civilian version of the military spy plane. [more]

"One of the reasons that the ER-2 is such a unique platform is the instruments are basically the same as on the satellites in outer space," said Jan Nystrom, an ER-2 pilot with Lockheed. Only the ER-2 is much closer to the storm than orbiting satellites. "We are the close-up lens."

The view from the dizzying height of 60,000 ft. is "definitely something you're not used to. We're kind of in the twilight zone there," he laughed. "The sky above you is much darker because we are above about 90 to 95 percent of the Earth's atmosphere."

"Depending on how well-defined the eye of the hurricane is, you can sometimes look down all the way through the storm and see blue water," Nystrom said.

A single pilot flies the ER-2 aircraft, which is 63 ft. long with a wingspan of 104 ft. These long, thin wings give the plane a maximum altitude of about 65,000 ft., and its light weight enables it to have a range of 3,000 nautical miles (about 3,452 miles or 5,555 km).

"It really amounts to a high-altitude jet glider," said Larry Montoya, mission manager for the ER-2.

All pilots flying the ER-2 missions received previous experience with the aircraft during stints with the military. These aviators are well aware of the dangers involved and actually are outfitted with spacesuits just like the astronauts use.