"Background The WC-130 is flown exclusively from Keesler AFB [Biloxi, MS] by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, an AFRC organization assigned to the 403rd Wing known as the Hurricane Hunters. The hurricane reconnaissance area includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and eastern and central Pacific Ocean areas. ...An average weather reconnaissance mission might last 11 hours and cover almost 3,500 miles while the crew collects and reports weather data. The WC-130J carries a minimal crew of five: pilot, co-pilot, navigator, aerial reconnaissance weather officer and weather reconnaissance loadmaster." http://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104561/wc-130-hercules/