Captain Nate Kahn, commanding officer of the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center, provides a behind-the-scenes look at the aircraft used to fly into hurricanes.

MIAMI – New research is shedding light on just how bumpy Hurricane Hunter missions can be and which seat on the aircraft most closely resembles a roller coaster ride.

To characterize these flights, meteorologists examined hurricane missions dating back to the 1980s and developed what they call the “bumpiness index.”

The index is based on a complex equation that factors in aircraft movements such as roll and pitch, which can vary significantly during a mission.

“Since rotational motions are experienced differently depending on where someone is on a plane, the bumpiness index takes into account seat position,” authors of the research published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society stated. “We then rank the bumpiest flights in recent history by gathering flight-level data from every tropical cyclone mission on the P-3 since 2004 when data needed from missions for this analysis became readily available, as well as data from the infamous flights into Hurricanes Allen (1980) and Hugo (1989).”

2025 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON GUIDE

Hurricane Ian in 2022 provided some of the most striking data for the one-of-a-kind study, with researchers documenting rapid accelerations and abrupt shifts in the aircraft.

Despite the intense ride, Ian did not top the list as the bumpiest flight – that distinction went to Hurricane Hugo in 1989 – when the pilot’s seat recorded a bumpiness value of 7.86 meters per second squared. The level of turbulence experienced during that flight would be classified as “severe” under NOAA’s turbulence intensity scale.

Despite such extreme conditions, missions largely proceeded as planned, including the deployment of the first uncrewed aerial system from a Lockheed WP-3D Orion aircraft during Hurricane Ian.

Other notable tropical cyclones making the list include Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Dorian (2019), and Hurricane Michael (2018).

The study also evaluated bumpiness across the 19 seats on the aircraft and found that the right pilot seat was often the bumpiest, while the seat typically occupied by the lead scientist experienced the least amount of sway.

During Hurricane Ian, the right pilot seat – referred to as “seat 2” – recorded the highest bumpiness value at 6.13 m/s², while “seat 10,” typically assigned to the lead scientist, recorded the lowest at 4.40 m/s² – a difference of more than 36%.

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Layout of a Hurricane Hunter aircraft with labeled seats.

(FOX Weather)

The findings aligned with long-term theories and observations that those seated farther from the aircraft’s center axis, either at the front or rear of the plane, tend to experience more intense movements than those seated near the wings.

The same general rule applies to commercial aircraft, where passengers in the rear often endure bumpier rides, though nowhere near the levels encountered while flying through a hurricane.

Aside from the flight crew, mission participants usually include meteorologists, weather reconnaissance officers and engineers, with flights often lasting several hours.