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Lt. Col. Jon Talbot, the Chief Aerial Reconnaissance Weather Officer from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, looks at the computer to check the weather as the crew prepares to fly into Tropical Storm Nate Sept. 7. The Hurricane Hunters were flying a low-level invest, which helped gather the information to upgrade the system to a tropical storm. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Nate

Lt. Col. Sean Pierce, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron director of operations, was one of the two pilots flying a low-level invest Sept. 7. The system was not a tropical storm when the Hurricane Hunters flew into, but it was upgraded and became Tropical Storm Nate because of the data gathered during the mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Nate

Maj. Phillip Dobson, a navigator with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, watches over another navigator as they prepare to fly into Tropical Storm Nate Sept. 7. The storm generated in the Gulf of Mexico and moved west into Mexico. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Nate

Capt. Paul Tschida, a navigator with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, keeps track of the aircraft's position and movement while flying Tropical Storm Nate Sept. 7. The navigator also monitors the radar to avoid tornadic activity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Nate

Senior Master Sgt. Tony Hlavac, a weather reconnaissance loadmaster with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, communicates with the other members of the aircrew as they fly into Tropical Storm Nate Sept. 7. The loadmaster also collects and records vertical meteorological data using a dropsonde. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Nate

Maj. Kevin Fryar, an aerial reconnaissance weather officer with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, looks out the window to monitor the weather conditions from Tropical Storm Nate Sept. 7. The flight meteorologist acts as the flight director while observing and recording meteorological data. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Nate

Lt. Col. Sean Pierce, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron director of operations, looks out the right side of the aircraft to check the weather conditions from Tropical Storm Nate Sept. 7. The Hurricane Hunters were flying a low-level invest to gather information about the storm for the National Hurricane Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Nate

A crew with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron was flying a low-level invest for Tropical Storm Nate Sept. 7. The waters were very choppy as heavy rain and high winds kicked up over the Gulf of Mexico. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Maria

Christian D'Andrea, executive producer with Story Foundry and Andy McDonald, senior videographer with High Noon Entertainment stand with Lt. Col. Dave Borsi, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron pilot, and Maria, a resident of St. Croix. D'Andrea and McDonald were in St. Croix to film the Hurricane Hunters as part of the television series they are making about the squadron. While there to film the squadron's missions into Tropical Storm Maria, they and Borsi met native Maria in downtown Christianstead. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Maria

Lt. Col. Dave Borsi, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron pilot, stops to talk with Maria, a St. Croix resident, about Tropical Storm Maria Sept. 9. The Hurricane Hunters routinely operate out of St. Croix during storm season depending on storm location. Virgin Islands to fly the storm before evacuating to Homestead, Florida. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Maria

Lt. Col. Bucky Lane, a pilot with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, looks out the window to view the weather conditions from Tropical Storm Maria Sept. 9. The Hurricane Hunters flew through the system before evacuating to Homestead, Florida. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Maria

Master Sgt. Scott Blair, a weather reconnaissance loadmaster with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, checks the computer before preparing to release a parachute-borne sensor known as a dropsonde into Tropical Storm Maria Sept. 9. The dropsonde measures and encodes weather data down to the ocean surface. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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TS Maria

Lt. Col. Warren Madden, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron aerial reconnaissance weather officer, looks over some paperwork to help monitor the weather as the aircrew prepares to fly into Tropical Storm Maria Sept. 9. The Hurricane Hunters were completing the mission from operations held in St. Croix. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Smock)

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Faces in the storms

Published Sept. 13, 2011

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