Page 4 - Volume 11 Number 8

MULTITASKER WITH LEGS
350CER’s versatility and extended range make it NOAA’s ‘King of the Road’
W by MeLinda Schnyder
hen Hurricane Matthew started on its path of destruction from the Caribbean to the Southeast United States last fall, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Marine and Aviation Operations was called into action. Three aircraft and one ship supported forecasting, research and post-storm survey operations as the storm approached and moved along the Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coasts.
NOAA’s Lockheed WP-3D Orion and Gulfstream IV-SP Hurricane Hunter aircraft conducted 19 storm reconnaissance, research and surveillance flights, operating a total of 158 hours. After Hurricane Matthew passed, NOAA’s Beechcraft King Air 350CER (featuring a cargo door and extended range) conducted eight aerial survey missions in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), collecting high-resolution imagery in areas impacted by the storm. Also following the storm, NOAA Ship Ferdinand R. Hassler surveyed channels in the Charleston Harbor and Port of Savannah using
2 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations operates five different aircraft models, including a 2009 Beechcraft King Air 350CER. (PHOTO: SEAN MICHAEL DAVIS)
The NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps celebrates 100 years of service this year. (NOAA)
Andrew Halbach is pictured in the back of the cabin of NOAA68 as the King Air 350CER collects high-resolution imagery of the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in support of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). (PHOTO CREDIT: LT. CMDR. DAVE GOTHAN, NOAA CORPS)
AUGUST 2017