LAKELAND, Fla. — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, has one of its key operations at Lakeland Linder International Airport.
The Hurricane Hunters moved to Lakeland Linder from MacDill Air Force Base in 2017. 10 Tampa Bay's Chief Meteorologist Bobby Deskins got a chance to see the aircraft and learn more about their missions to help keep you informed during a storm.
Lieutenant Commander Kevin Doremus is a NOAA pilot. He showed 10 Tampa Bay the features of the aircraft they call Miss Piggy. She is one of two p3 Orions that the Hurricane Hunters fly into some of the worst weather as they look for the center of a storm.
“Miss Piggy was built in about 1976. There are some 1976 original pieces to it. But for the most part, they've been rebuilt and fixed up and repaired and improved over the years stronger wings [pretty] much replaced all the wings, the tails in the engines just a few years ago,” Doremus said.
“In a commercial airliner for folks at home, they have meteorologists on the ground that are in contact with the pilots to tell them to fly around storms, that type of thing. You've got that setup right here. You're looking at the science, you're looking at where you are, and you're making those decisions on board in real-time,” Deskins said as he toured the front of the aircraft.
“Absolutely. Yeah, we have just such a wealth of knowledge right here in this part of the airplane that helps inform and make us help us make informed decisions when we're in a pretty challenging environment,” Doremus said.