Two pilots bravely navigated the severe weather conditions while flying in Hurricane Ida’s path through the Gulf of Mexico.
On social media, the footage of an airline pilot flying through Hurricane Ida in a single-engine aircraft is trending. The video was first posted by the NOAA Hurricane Hunters on Facebook. It attracted terrified reactions from netizens.
The clip showed the pilot controlling the aircraft expertly, with an assistant pilot sitting beside him, both wearing aviation headsets. He seemed calm as he made his way through the Category 4 Hurricane’s eye.
Two pilots navigate the plane through Hurricane Ida.
The camera began to pan the plane’s length before focusing on the exterior.
Evidence of the stormy weather video also shows the pilot. Despite the dangers of the flight, the US pilot was determined to focus on the early morning mission.
“OVER THE GULF OF MEXICOꟷ Flying into the eye of Category 4 Hurricane #Ida on NOAA WP-3D Orion #NOAA43 Miss Piggy during this morning’s mission August 29, 2021.”
Lt. Cmdr. was the one who received the video credit. Doremus from NOAA Corps. The NOAA also shared a link encouraging people to visit the website in order to find resources after the storm made landfall.
Many Facebook users used the comment section to share how frightening they found the mission. Others praised the pilots’ courage. One of the comments :
“This is amazing. Thanks for this. Brave soul.”
BREAKING UPDATE: Hurricane Ida is now a Cat 4 storm and has 150 mph winds. https://t.co/t21tw46PLf
• Currently 50 miles from Louisiana coast
• NHC: “Catastrophic wind damage is likely”
• “Extremely life-threatening storm surge”9+ Feet “is imminent,”NHC pic.twitter.com/i4TGKNY5cZ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 29, 2021
Another commenter focused on the aircraft used in the mission. He pointed out that pilots who were less well-equipped for the task made their efforts more admirable. The commenter submitted:
“Pretty cool. NOAA used to be VW$ out of JAX. Didn’t know they were still using P#s. Always wondered why they used a short, stiff-winged airplane to penetrate a hurricane, not a great ride.”
(1 of 2) HURRICANE IDA UPDATE 8.29.21, 11:30 EST. Safety is our number one priority as Hurricane Ida approaches. Our teams are ready to restore service as soon as possible and as safely as possible in order to aid recovery and relief efforts.
— Pilot Flying J (@PilotFlyingJ) August 29, 2021
Numerous netizens offered tributes to the brave men, women and children who risked everything to save the lives of those affected by Hurricane Ida and other natural catastrophes.
Many were stunned by the video. Others praised the bravery of the pilots for taking on such a difficult flight. One commenter called the experience “unreal.”