NOAA Plane and Mayfield to visit Mobile

[Alacane2]

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
145 PM CDT TUE APR 25 2006

...NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT TO VISIT MOBILE...
AS PART OF THE NOAA-NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 2006 HURRICANE AWARENESS TOUR...A NOAA P-3 HURRICANE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT AND CREW WILL SPEND THE DAY IN MOBILE NEXT WEDNESDAY, MAY 3RD. SELECTED SCHOOL CHILDREN, LOCAL OFFICIALS, THE MEDIA, AND THE
GENERAL PUBLIC WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO TOUR THE AIRCRAFT AND TALK WITH THE FLIGHT CREW AS WELL AS WITH METEOROLOGISTS AND OTHER OFFICIALS ON BOARD THE PLANE.

THE PLANE WILL ARRIVE AT MOBILE REGIONAL AIRPORT...BATES FIELD...WEDNESDAY MORNING, MAY 3RD, AND WILL PARK NEAR THE MOBILE AIR CENTER JUST WEST OF THE MAIN TERMINAL BUILDING. FROM AIRPORT BLVD, THE AIRCRAFT CAN BE REACHED BY TURNING NORTH ON FLAVE-PIERCE ROAD, WHICH IS JUST EAST OF BAKER HIGH SCHOOL. SIGNS WILL BE PLACED ON AIRPORT BLVD IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT INDICATING THE LOCATION OF THE AIRCRAFT.

NOAA'S P-3'S FLY RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS INTO TROPICAL WEATHER SYSTEMS...INCLUDING HURRICANES...THAT POSE A THREAT TO LAND.
CRITICAL WEATHER INFORMATION GATHERED BY THE AIRCRAFT IS THEN USED BY NOAA'S NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IN MIAMI TO FORECAST THE INTENSITY AND MOVEMENT OF THE STORM.

VARIOUS DIGNITARIES WILL BE TRAVELING WITH THE P-3...INCLUDING MAX MAYFIELD, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER...BILL PROENZA, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE'S SOUTHERN REGION...AND DR. JIM MCFADDEN OF THE P-3 OPERATIONS CENTER. ALL WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR MEDIA INTERVIEWS FROM APPROXIMATELY 1000 AM UNTIL 600 PM.

SEVERAL HUNDRED SCHOOL CHILDREN...MAINLY 4TH AND 5TH GRADERS...FROM SELECTED SCHOOLS WILL RECEIVE AN INTRODUCTION TO HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS PRIOR TO TOURING THE PLANE. STUDENT INSTRUCTION AND TOURS WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 10 AM UNTIL 230 PM.

AFTER THE SCHOOL CHILDREN TOUR THE AIRCRAFT...IT WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR TOURS BY VIP'S FROM 230 PM TO 300 PM, AND OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC FROM 300 PM TO 500 PM.

ALSO ON DISPLAY AND AVAILABLE FOR TOURING WILL BE AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLE AND COMMAND CENTER FROM THE PENSACOLA-ESCAMBIA COUNTY FLORIDA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY. LOCAL RED CROSS WILL ALSO BE ON HAND FOR PREPAREDNESS ADVICE AND INSTRUCTION.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...CONTACT RANDY MCKEE OR GARY BEELER OF THE MOBILE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE...AT 251-633-6443...OR RANDALL.MCKEE@NOAA.GOV OR GARY.BEELER@NOAA.GOV.

[brunota2003]

Man...they are blessed...I wanna tour one of the famed "Hurricane Hunter" C-130's...I wish I lived there and was a 4th or 5th grader...and they get to talk to the crew??? grrr...I would be asking them so many questions it would take several police officers to get me away...

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Would Max mayfield fly in a c-130 durning a cat5 hurricane if it formed this year?