eye hurricane irma sky darken lightning flash jolt turbulence shake cabin hulk air force turbo-prop aircraft ply way toward eye hurricane irma one strong atlantic storm ever record pilot four-engine wc-130j aircraft air force reserve lieutenant colonel jim hitterman past 22 years fly 40 50 hurricanes every storm different liken experience drive car wash one big difference drive car wash bunch gorillas start jump top car hitterman say add sometimes shake get bad see instrument friday saturday reuters accompany air force reserve hurricane hunters whose hard-won data take directly center storm like hurricane irma critical u.s. forecast save live experts say u.s. satellite data simply job estimate satellite strength size hurricane go hurricane really get accurate measure exact center location structure maximum wind say rick knabb hurricane expert weather channel former director national hurricane center 53rd weather reconnaissance squadron hurricane hunters base keesler air force base biloxi mississippi members trace origin hurricane hunt 1943 barroom dare two then-army air corps pilot fly hurricane texas today missions carry largely air force reservists days weeks chase storm return job civilian world hitterman 49 fly delta airlines time hobby race motorcycle flight meteorologist major nicole mitchell experience television news meteorologist mother eight-month-old baby boy normally live minnesota way mitchell see accurate data accurate forecast tell u.s. citizens whether evacuate home irma storm advance fact make difference say mitchell plane would make four pass total irma eye mission entries exit turbulent others final pass come saturday hurricane irma wallop cuba northern coast irma interaction cuba terrain weaken storm category category hurricane u.s. national hurricane center warn storm anticipate strengthen irma expect hit florida sunday morning bring massive damage wind flood america fourth-largest state population millions florida residents order evacuate despite severity storm like irma undeniable danger grind u.s. flight hurricanes incredible safety record one aircraft lose four decades last time 1974. without risk six hurricane typhoon hunt aircraft lose total cost 53 live accord weather underground website jeff master director meteorology weather underground recall extremely close call flight hurricane hugo 1989 organize national oceanic atmospheric administration noaa also field turbo-prop aircraft pilot lose control aircraft one engines catch fire aircraft descend rapidly satellite data give crew sense fly category storm turn category 5. fly much low storm potent go 1,500 feet no-no category get clobber recount master pilot able recover control enter hugo eye mission irma jolt turbulence also shake equipment cabin near eye hurricane emergency parachute sway suddenly everything plane settle safe enough take seat belt fly smooth inside eye sky open dark eyewall surround ring cloud could see outside cockpit window master say someday drone might able risky job do experience air crew cockpit hurricane hunter flight possibility still seem distant aircraft like 53rd 10 wc-130j plan specially equip gather meteorological data send u.s. national hurricane center equipment operate manually include release sensors belly aircraft fall transmit storm data include irma pressure wind speed direction mission get underway sensors know dropsondes appear malfunction technical sergeant karen moore loadmaster release dropsondes aircraft among many duties say could get gps signal fell irma wind moore take screwdriver literally start fix fly one one something drone would able hitterman say also could see future pilotless plan fly hurricanes get data americans need think ways say exclusive fly eye hurricane irma u.s. 'hurricane hunters