'Hurricane Hunters:' Calm Science Pilots In Eye Of The Storm

A WP-3D Orion aircraft, nicknamed 'Kermit,' has been flying into the powerful hurricanes since the 1970s, but the turboprop has been refurbished with state-of-the-art meteorological equipment (Credit: AFP)

When Hurricane Sally slammed coastal Florida in 2020, US pilot Dean Legidakes was aboard a scientific aircraft flying directly into the storm's core.

Once back on land, he learned how the disaster literally hit home.