Page 90 - Winterling's Chasing the Wind

CHAPTER 26 - Hurricane Experiences

In 1959, Roger Plaster made arrangements for me to fly with the Hurricane Hunters
into Hurricane Gracie in one of their Super Constellations of VW-4 from the
Jacksonville Naval Air Station, The hurricane was a category 3 storm about 200 miles
east-southeast of St. Augustine, FL. After flying as low as 600 feet at times, the pilot,
Lt Cmdr Morgan Divison, flew the plane into a climbing spiral. Upon reaching 10,000
ft. we entered the calm and cloudless eye of the storm.

From there, the Hurricane Center directed the crew to fly into the northeast eyewall to
measure the intensity of the storm's winds. When penetrating the northeast eyewall to
measure the storm’s intensity, we suddenly experienced a runaway prop. The left
engine outside my window began to roar causing the plane to vibrate. With the danger
of a blade flying off, possibly into the cabin, the engine was immediately shut down
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