The story of the beginnings of aircraft reconnaissance of hurricanes has long been mythologized. The truth is more complex and interesting.
The story of the first aircraft penetration of the eye of a hurricane by Lt. Colonel Joe Duckworth of the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 27 July, 1943, is told, but some myths have arisen concerning this event. There were previous attempts at hurricanereconnaissance, and a rival method (marine reconnaissance) for monitoring such storms was attempted but eventually proved ineffective and dangerous. Eventually, resources and resolve led to aerial reconnaissance becoming a vital scheme for monitoring and researching tropical cyclones. This article tells the real history of how this occurred.
For more information, contact aoml.communications@noaa.gov. The article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1080/00431672.2024.2276648.