403rd Wing Public Affairs
10/2/2014 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Climbing back into her seat after being tossed around by turbulence, she noticed the radio was filled with absolute silence.
This was the first flight that Lt. Col. Valerie Hendry, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron aerial weather officer remembers vividly.
"We were flying into Super Typhoon Dot near the Philippines," said Hendry. "It wasn't my first flight, but it was my first solo flight as a weather officer."
The flight continued heading into the eye of the storm, through the heavy winds and turbulence. After breaking through the eye wall, the pilot broke the silence by announcing on the radio that they had a broken wing.
"The load (master) and I jumped up and ran to the window before realizing it was a joke," she said. "But at that point, the tension was broken and we continued (our flight)."
Hendry said that it was the worst turbulence she had ever experienced in her 28 seasons of hurricane hunting.
On July 4, 2014, while flying into the eye of Hurricane Arthur, Hendry joined the small list of members in the "300 Club," as the Hurricane Hunters call it. She made her 300th penny, or penetration, into the eye of a hurricane.
"While it is by no means a record for 'pennys', Lt. Col. Troy "Bear" Anderson, 53rd WRS pilot, and I are the latest to reach the "300 Club" mark," said Hendry.
Hendry said her first penny was Hurricane Claudette in 1985.
"This storm was actually going extra-tropical at the time," she said. "It had a cold-core, which is not like a typical hurricane at all."
Anderson said that his first and 300th flight weren't very memorable to him, but other storms stood out in his mind. One such storm was only a tropical storm.
"This storm was intense with electrical activity," said Anderson. "I saw lightening in a range of colors: red, orange, yellow, blue, purple and white. The only color I didn't see was green."
Remembering other storms, Anderson recalled Hurricane Gilbert, a Category 5 storm in 1988.
"The eye of the storm was very distinct," said Anderson. "Inside the eye, most eye walls look like they have fluffy or fuzzy cloud edges, but Gilbert's eye wall was like a solid white mass."
In 1987 Hendry flew into Hurricane Emily. This flight was nearly cancelled, but it appeared to have weakened while heading toward Bermuda, but at the last minute a flight was sent into the storm.
"This mission was one of my most difficult ones, because my calculator had quit and I had to do the calculations by hand," said Hendry. "This storm hit as a Category 2 hurricane and warnings were issued with only 6 hours of notice."
That was only the first of four storms named Emily that Hendry flew. She flew into Hurricanes Emily in 1993 and 2005 also, and Tropical Storm Emily in 1999.
"The list of names for storms repeats every six years," said Hendry. "And when you see the same names coming up again and again, you realize you've been at this a while."
Anderson and Hendry also flew one unique mission together, where they flew two storms on the same flight: Hurricane Iris and Tropical Storm Karen.
Hendry said that Karen was being absorbed into the larger storm Iris, and was not very discernible on satellite.
"We were surprised to find it was holding its own once we flew through it in the fringes of Iris," she said.
Both Hendry and Anderson remarked that Hurricane Sandy was memorable, but for different reasons.
"There was a much larger wind field, about 80 miles, with large bands of thunderstorms," said Anderson. "We released extra dropsondes for more readings."
Hendry remembers ice collecting on the wings.
"We entered the storm at our typical altitude of 10,000 feet, but once the ice started collecting, we dropped below 5,000 feet," she said. "But it was still slightly below freezing on one side of the storm and I even saw snow. Now this was a first for me in a hurricane."
Storms are sometimes memorable for reasons other than the storm itself. Being called upon to help conduct Search and Rescue missions for ships caught in these storms. Hendry was present for two SAR flights: Hurricane Roxanne in 1995 and Hurricane Julio in 2014.
"Searching for survivors in turbulent winds is difficult," said Hendry. "You feel helpless to do anything but circle above them while waiting for a rescue plan, but you now it is better than what the survivors are experiencing in the water below."
Hendry said that there is no better job than being a Hurricane Hunter because she can take her fascination with severe weather and love of flying, combine them, and make a difference in the lives of others.
She hopes to see the number of "pennys" continue to add up as she continues serving her 28th storm season as a Hurricane Hunter.
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