Hurricane Irene

Majs. Kevin Fryar, aerial reconnaissance weather officer, and Andrew Clark, navigator, discuss alternative flight paths through Hurricane Irene, which had just made landfall over the North Carolina coast August 27. Navigators and ARWOs for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron coordinate during hurricane flights to balance data collection with aircraft safety. Certain areas that look good for gathering storm data may be ripe for water spouts or other unfavorable weather conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens))