Air Force Reservist Tech. Sgt. Troy Bickham loads a dropsonde in the launch chute just before the WC-130J penetrates Hurricane Bill Aug. 22. Sergeant Bickham is a weather reconnaissance loadmaster assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters," which is part of the 403rd Wing located at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. This particular mission was the last flight through Hurricane Bill, which was a Category 1 at the time of the flight. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Tanya King)

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Hurricane Bill

Air Force Reservist Lt. Col. Rich Harter, Aerial Reconnaissance Weather Officer with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron located at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., continuously monitors weather data on a WC-130J during a flight through Hurricane Bill Aug. 22. The 53rd WRS "Hurricane Hunters" provide surveillance of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the central Pacific Ocean for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Tanya King)

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Hurricane Bill

The sun rises just as the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance "Hurricane Hunters," make their third pass through the eye of Category 1 Hurricane Bill Aug. 23 near Nova Scotia, Canada. The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters of the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss fly 24-hours-a-day, collecting data inside the heart of Mother Nature's fury (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Tanya King)

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Final Flight Into Hurricane Bill

Published Aug. 27, 2009