NOAA Aircraft Ops Center

For half a century, these iconic aircraft have been flying scientific missions around the globe to help save lives and protect property. Take a look back at the incredible journey and missions of the NOAA P-3s, from the 1970s to today. Join us throughout the year as we celebrate 50 years of science, service, and stewardship aboard the NOAA P-3s! Learn more about the link in our bio🔗 #50YearsofNOAAP3 #FlyNOAA

We just wrapped up an incredible week on the Hurricane Awareness Tour! ⛈️✈️ We had a great time meeting the communities in Sarasota, Mobile, and Lake Charles last week to promote hurricane preparedness and share a behind-the-scenes look at our flight missions. We brought along @NOAA WP-3D Orion #NOAA43 "Miss Piggy" that flies directly into the storms, and @NOAA King Air #NOAA65 that captures critical damage imagery to help recovery efforts after the skies clear. The start of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season is right around the corner. Are you ready? #FlyNOAA 📸 Photo Credits: Thomas Iddings, NOAA, Bob Hyatt, NOAA, and Mobile County Emergency Management Agency

Have you ever wanted to see the inside of a NOAA Hurricane Hunter P-3 and here what they do?

It’s Kermit & Miss Piggy’s 50th anniversary! No, the two Muppets didn’t get married… Those are the names of NOAA’s two P-3 Hurricane Hunters! Join the NOAA Heritage Program’s Curator, Mark Weber, “On the Heritage Trail” as he visits NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida to discuss some of the P-3s’ most interesting artifacts with veteran Flight Engineer Dan Tyson! Visit the link in bio to learn more🔗 #FlyNOAA #50YearsofNOAAP3

The NOAA WP-3D Orion, NOAA’s Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV) jet and the Air Force WC-130J, all play a significant role collecting data for tropical cyclone forecasting throughout the hurricane season. Want to learn more about each of these incredible aircraft? Come join us! We are bringing the planes, the crews that fly them, and hurricane forecasters to you at the Gulf Coast Hurricane Awareness Tour from May 4 to the 6.

Hurricane season is just around the corner, and NOAA is bringing the science to you! Come tour four different Hurricane Hunter aircraft and get an up-close look at the research we conduct onboard. Join us for the 2026 Hurricane Awareness Tour in these cities: 🗓️ May 4th: Sarasota, FL at the Sarasota / Bradenton International Airport 🗓️ May 5th: Mobile, AL at the Mobile International Airport 🗓️ May 6th: Lake Charles, LA at the Chennault International Airport Will we see you there? Learn more at the link in bio 🔗 Video Credit: NOAA/AOML With additional footage provided by @flynoaa and @black_swift_technologies

Meet the crews who fly into hurricanes to keep our communities safe. ✈️⛈️ At the Gulf Coast Hurricane Awareness Tour, you can learn firsthand what it’s like to fly these missions. Join our pilots, flight directors, engineers, and scientists on the ramp to hear their stories and see how they collect the critical data that fuels our forecasts. Join us next week in: 📍 Sarasota, FL 📍 Mobile, AL 📍 Lake Charles, LA

Happy #NOAAFleetWeek! Ever wonder what a joint research-operation hurricane mission looks like? It looks like this! Meteorologists join Hurricane Hunters on missions into hurricanes with a dual-goal of collecting data for operational forecasts and research.  Thanks to the science stations aboard @flynoaa aircraft, meteorologists, like those with AOML, can test emerging technologies and collect real-time observations that advance forecast models. The planes are equipped with stations where researchers analyze tail Doppler radar scans, deploy and monitor uncrewed systems such as drones, launch sondes to capture vertical profiles of the storm, and much more. Every flight helps turn data into better forecasts – and better forecasts save lives. Learn more about these missions at the link in our bio. 🔗

NOAA operates a fleet of ten specialized, crewed aircraft that collect data vital to protecting lives and understanding the Earth. This fleet is operated, managed and maintained by the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center, part of NOAA Marine and Aviation, and is located at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Lakeland, Florida. The center serves as the main base for NOAA’s aircraft fleet and provides capable, mission-ready aircraft and professional crews to the scientific community. To learn more about NOAA’s fleet of aircraft and the people that support them, please visit the link in our bio🔗 #NOAAFleetWeek #50YearsofNOAAP3

🌍 Earth Month Spotlight: Observations in our atmosphere  All April long, AOML is celebrating Earth Month by highlighting research across the different “layers” of our atmosphere and ocean. We’re starting in the troposphere where hurricanes form 🌀!  To advance hurricane prediction and forecast modeling, AOML’s Hurricane Research Division collects crucial observations aboard two dedicated @flynoaa Hurricane Hunter Aircraft: * NOAA’s Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV): Provides high-altitude coverage (~45,000 ft.) critical for defining weather systems in the upper atmosphere. * NOAA’s Lockheed WP-3D Orion (P-3): Flies right into the action, penetrating hurricane eyewalls at roughly 8,000 - 10,000 feet above sea level.  These planes are equipped with science stations to launch instruments like dropsondes, streamsondes, expendable bathythermographs, and small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) such as the Black Swift S0. At the back of the P-3, the tail Doppler radar scans the storm, revealing where the strongest winds and most intense rainfall occur.  The payoff of observational data is unparalleled. On average, when real-time observations are ingested into forecast models, there is a 20% improvement in hurricane forecasts.  Stay tuned next week for when we dive into research in the ocean boundary layer and shallow seas. Graphic credit: NOAA

#ThrowbackThursday to the ultimate P-3 makeover! How do you keep a legendary aircraft flying for half a century? ✈️ It takes more than just routine maintenance. 🛠️ To extend the life of our specialized NOAA P-3s, they underwent a service life extension program, which included a "re-winging" and a fresh repaint to our current paint scheme. Those upgrades ensured our aircraft remained strong enough to fly into hurricanes for years. #50YearsofNOAAP3 #FlyNOAA

Cmdr. Jason Clark and Ensign Ngedikes Benedict brought @NOAA Twin Otter #NOAA57 up to visit BOTC 147 - the latest class of @noaacorps officer candidates! ✈️👋 BOTC (Basic Officer Training Class) is where new NOAA Corps recruits train before being commissioned. The curriculum includes classroom instruction, hands-on exercises, and ship handling training. This visit was an incredible opportunity for the current officers to connect with the upcoming class and share insights into their work and NOAA’s aircraft missions. 🛫 Ready to fly with us? Learn more about the NOAA Corps at the link in our bio! #FlyNOAA 📸Photo credits: Cmdr. Jason Clark and Officer Candidate Kaleena Davis, NOAA Corps