'Eyes for an Eye'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tori Schultz
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs photojournalist
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Lt. Cmdr. Justin Kibbey, Weather Patrol 3 pilot, signed up for the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer; unaware that after nine years, he would transfer into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a Hurricane Hunter pilot.

After fulfilling his military obligations as a Navy P3 pilot, Kibbey's interest in weather--specifically thunderstorms--and his passion for flying drew him to apply for an inter-service transfer to become a Hurricane Hunter pilot. He heard there was an opening at MacDill Air Force Base and applied for the position.

"My commission for the Navy transferred over to NOAA basically as a one-for-one swap. I went to bed a Navy officer and woke up a NOAA core officer," explained Kibbey.

In 2010, Kibbey experienced his first flight into the eye of a hurricane when Hurricane Earl threatened Barbados.

"It was a very unique experience, being my first one and not being used to flying in that type of weather," Kibbey said. "I do remember being 80 percent scared and 20 percent exhilarated."

Kibbey recalls that it was night when he finally pushed through the eyewalls (the roughly circular ring of deep convection which is the area of highest surface winds in the tropical cyclone) and into the calm eye of the treacherous storm.

He was in the left seat and could not see anything outside of the aircraft because it was pitch black. The only visible light was from the radar, which Kibbey described as a beautiful picture of yellows and reds illustrating the heavy rain in front of the aircraft.

The crew of scientists and meteorologists collected weather data as Kibbey navigated through turbulence pockets.

"Picture it like riding a wave," Kibbey said. "You control the plane, but you let the turbulence push you up and down because there's up and down drafts throughout the storm, so you don't fight it."

The crew then braced itself to go through the next eyewall. Kibbey looked down at the radar screen and as he looked up, 20 miles in front of him, the entire eyewall lit up with lightning.

"It was very ominous because it was completely dark; and all of a sudden, the whole eyewall was lit up; you could see all the way above me and a bit of sky above the eye," said Kibbey as he remembered his experience. "I won't ever forget that. It was a gentle reminder of what I'm doing and where I'm at. It was absolutely beautiful."

Throughout his NOAA career, Kibbey has flown through more than 35 tropical storms and hurricanes. Anxiety and anticipation are his two main emotions before a flight, because hurricanes are constantly changing after each pass the aircraft makes.

"There's definitely heightened awareness, a little bit of anticipation, but good anticipation, and good anxiety (that) gets you focused, gets you ready to fly the plane correctly, (collect) the data the right way and not overstress the aircraft," said Kibbey.

For Kibbey, being a Hurricane Hunter pilot is his dream job. It ties in his passion for flying and his interest in weather, especially thunderstorms.

"I've always been a weather geek my whole life, and I enjoy being around thunderstorms and being outside in the rain," Kibbey stated. "I couldn't ask for anything more."