Stormchasers: The Hurricane Hunters and Their Fateful Flight into Hurricane Janet

by David Toomey

Fifty years after Isaac's Storm, a riveting story of the first Hurricane Hunters, and the one crew who paid the ultimate price.

"In a virtual age when tempests are monitored by global positioning and The Weather Channel, Stormchasers reminds us that our first understanding of hurricanes was directly built on the risks and sacrifices of living, breathing heroes," writes Hampton Sides (author of Ghost Soldiers).In September 1955, Navy Lieutenant Commander Grover B. Windham and a crew of eight flew out of Guantánamo Bay into the eye of Hurricane Janet swirling in the a routine weather reconnaissance mission from which they never returned. In the wake of World War II, the Air Force and the Navy had discovered a new civilian arena where daring pilots could test their courage and skill. These Hurricane Hunters flew into raging storms to gauge their strength and predict their paths. Without computer, global positioning, or satellite support, they relied on rudimentary radar systems to locate the hurricane's eye and estimated the drift of their aircraft by looking at windblown waves below. Drawing from Navy documents and interviews with members of the squadron and relatives of the crew, Stormchasers reconstructs the ill-fated mission of Windham's crew from preflight checks to the chilling moment of their final transmission.

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2003

Reviews

[Everydayreader1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hurricanes, their causes and how to predict them, has been a fascination for centuries. This book alternates between the development of hurricane prediction and meteorology as a science, and the flight of hurricane hunters who flew into the eye of Hurricane Janet in September, 1955, and never returned.

I found this book fascinating, educational and an all around great read. The explanation of hurricane formation was especially informative and timely, since we are experiencing several hurricanes this year.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, though sometimes confusing because of the back and forth in time. About the quest to understand weather, in particular hurricanes, and the science of weather. About the lives of those who were flying into weather and hurricanes to gather data and provide warnings for civilians and the military. But also about the families, their challenges, pride, and grief after loss and uncertainty about what transpired.

[Skip Kilmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a balanced mix of the history of hurricane science with an accurate narrative of a mission of nine naval airmen and civilian journalists. I remembered enough of my time in a VP squadron to resonate with the experiences described.

[Kip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hurricane Stormchasers

Very in depth information about hurricanes and efforts to understand them. A very good story of one plane and the crew lost. Somewhat tedious technically.

[Barry Edstene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a most informative read, well scripted and researched. It was well grounded in the history of Navy and Air Force Stormchasers. Anyone who is interested in Storm spotting should make this a must read.